On Monday I posted my post on Facebook by quoting from the song “Smile” — “There’s always a reason to always choose joy.” Tuesday I wrote about my poem “Love anyway” and posted to Facebook, “There’s always a reason to always choose love.”
Now I realize there’s always a reason to choose all of the fruits of the Spirit — always choose peace, always choose patience, always choose kindness, and all the rest. That reason in the most selfish sense is that it’s good for us — if you live in joy, peace, gentleness, etc., you’re going to be healthier than if you wrap yourself in anger and fear and lash out at others.
But as the phrase implies, those traits are a natural product of living in the Spirit — they are the fruits of that life choice. When you’re with the Spirit, you can’t help but feel joy and love, and you are patient, and kind and gentle by nature.
Choose to live in the Spirit, and you are choosing all of the fruit. I have to say it’s a healthier way of life but often hard to maintain, especially as I scroll through social media and see all the hatred and distrust — but as I cling to the Spirit, the urge to respond in kind tends to melt away. There’s always a reason to always choose the Spirit.
