Fruit of the Spirit

I have spent much of my life searching for a seemingly elusive notion of 'happiness.' I would look for things that brought a smile to my face and indulged repeatedly in those activities with expectations of experiencing continuous joy. However, I found that my desire to satisfy my urge for instant gratification always took me down a path toward future disappointment. It was these selfish ambitions that eventually took over my life and destroyed any chances for me to enjoy lasting joy in life.

Galatians 5:22 reads, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control."

After reading this passage for the first time, I immediately felt a rush of emotion that fueled an intense drive to find this 'fruit' in my own life. I remember thinking to myself that I could experience things such as love, peace and joy simply by replacing my negative tendencies with a more positive attitude. I knew I was struggling with problems in my life, but thought I had the power to conquer them relying solely on my own determination. I became committed to living a life geared toward being kind and good thinking that I would be rewarded with a new life free from the evils that had taken over my ability to find 'happiness'.

I eventually came to realize that my determination in itself was unable to conquer my sinful lifestyle. I failed in my attempts to discover the 'Fruit of the Spirit' and found myself suffering from the same wickedness, over and over again. I soon reverted to questioning God and wanted to give in to the desperate nature of my ill-framed mind that worked so hard to divert my attention away from an honest hunt for the truth.

Luckily, God continued to fight for his glory in my life and provided an eye opening realization that would lead me to finding the missing link to my happiness. I began to see that the 'Fruit of the Spirit' was not something I could receive through my own strength and determination. After giving my all toward developing a relationship with Jesus, God rewarded me with all the love, joy and peace I needed to live the fulfilled life I desired. The more I followed the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the more I experienced things such as patience, kindness, and self-control in my life.

The key to enjoying the 'Fruit of the Spirit' has been practicing obedience over my sinful nature. By turning to Jesus, I have been able to move away from the notion of success as taught to me by society and overcome my selfish desires. I have learned to trust God and realize that he will provide everything I need to live an abundant life.