By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things… if we live by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23, 25)
The fruit of the Spirit, listed by the Apostle Paul in the fifth chapter of Galatians, is one of my favorite of New Testament passages. I see it as equal to the Beatitudes in terms of establishing a concise statement of what a transformed spiritual life can look like. I especially like the metaphor of “fruit” — this is what the abundance of a life under the guidance of the Spirit looks like, and best of all, it’s not something we have to create by the dint of our own effort; rather, it is fruit — it simply emerges in our lives, thanks to the beauty of the Spirit’s transforming presence in our lives, even when that presence is hidden beneath the horizon of our conscious awareness. In other words, you don’t have to experience the Spirit at work in your life, in order for this fruit to be slowly but surely emerging within you.
Who doesn’t want to live a joyful life? Or a life shaped by peace, love, and kindness? Even immature people who may not recognize the benefit of being patient or generous or faithful, nevertheless want other people to treat them that way. And anyone who recognizes that receiving these qualities makes life better, sooner or later will begin to understand how good it is to cultivate these fruits to share with others.
But now, time for a reality check. I know I am not always living a life grounded in love, joy, peace, and all the rest. If I’m honest with myself, I must admit that sometimes it seems like I am manifesting anything but the fruit of the Spirit.
I say this not to wallow in shame (I don’t believe in shame), but to simply try to be honest. I do not always conduct my life in a skillful way, which is to say, I do not always make room in my heart and my mind for the Spirit to cultivate the fruit that brings life meaning and happiness.
I was thinking about this the other day, after spending a few minutes on social media — where it seems that so much of what is being posted is sadly devoid of the Spirit’s fruit. As I thought about it, this is what I came to realize:
- Instead of loving words, too often we express words of contempt or fear;
- Intead of joyful words, too often we express words of despair or cynicism;
- Instead of peaceful words, too often we express words of anger or rage;
- Instead of patient words, too often we express words of panic or anxious urgency;
- Instead of kind words, too often we express words that are indifferent or uncaring;
- Instead of good words, too often we express abusive or mean-spirited words;
- Instead of faithful words, too often we express words that are suspicious or jealous;
- Instead of gentle words, too often we express words that are harsh or brutal;
- Instead of temperate words, we express words of extremism or that are rigid and unyielding.
I know I have done all of the above. Perhaps you recognize yourself in this list as well? And no matter what your political philosophy may be, I believe anyone who is being honest will admit that these fraught words (rather than fruitful ones) can be heard all over our political conversations — and across the political spectrum.
Again, my purpose is not to shame anyone. It’s far, far too easy to be angry, cynical, despairing, suspicious, fearful and so forth, especially given the many pressing issues that face us and our communities in the world today. In a time of war, terrorism, abuse, environmental stress, racism, alienation, religious and political division, and so forth, it’s simply true that we all are susceptible to using language that is fraught rather than fruitful.
So here’s my question, and I invite you, dear readers to reflect on this with me:
What if we tried to be just a little bit more mindful here? What if we tried to think through the tone and tenor of the language we use to communicate important matters? What if we could learn to communicate about our conflicts and divisions using the Spirit-drenched language of love, of kindness, and generosity and joy, faithfulness and goodness, of moderation and peacemaking?
And this means, whenever we are tempted to express ourselves using the fraught language of division, aggression, and fear, we take the time necessary to revise our words, not to change our message but to deliver that message in a manner that is Spirit-imbued?
This would not solve our problems overnight. By itself, the language of the Spirit can only do so much. Our communication must be anchored in a commitment to real dialogue, to meaningful action, and to communal cooperation. But I am persuaded that the language of the Spirit can help us to reach those places of dialogue, action and cooperation much more quickly than the fraught language of hostility and aggression ever will.
Think about it. What if the next time you are tempted to lash out with words that are mean, harsh and extreme, you gave yourself a minute to recast your communication in terms of compassion, gentleness and moderation? Wouldn’t your words have a better chance of being heard?
Or the next time you are tempted to speak cynically, contemptuously, and angrily, you gave yourself the gift of re-calibrating your heart to genuine peace, joy, and love? Your message remains the same, but the manner in which you deliver it makes all the difference.
Let me be clear: I am not asking anyone to abandoned their conscience, or the courage of their convictions. But we can advocate for what we truly believe is good, and true, and beautiful, without resorting to language that demeans, divides or leads to despair. This is a matter of personal empowerment: we know we are better than so much of the language that currently characterizes our public conversations.
This won’t be easy, especially at first. Those of us who try to calibrate our words according to the fruit fo the Spirit will be mocked, rejected and denounced by the shouts of those who are still convinced that the fraught language of hostility and division is the only way to communicate. We will have to engage in all of Jesus’s teachings: especially the bits about not judging others, loving your so-called enemies, and even turning the other cheek.
I think it is so important to remember, when we are tempted to use language that divides us, who really benefits when good or well-meaning people start to mistrust, abuse, and demean one another? I don’t believe it is our common well-being that benefits. So we need to restore an imagination that recognizes how much we need each other, rely on each other, and are capable of working together to create a better world.
And if you think “But the other side has done all these terrible things!” Just remember: are you communicating your concerns with the fruit of the Spirit, or the fraught words of aggression and separation? I believe we must find ways to communicate how much we are troubled by the actions of certain segments of our society — it will be a necessary step toward restoring and strengthening our common civility. But we must find ways to communicate our concerns that are grounded in the fruit of the Spirit rather that the fraught language that seems to just keep dividing us further and further.
Who doesn’t want to live a joyful life? Or a life shaped by peace, love, and kindness? it’s up to all of us to understand how good it is to cultivate these fruits in our own lives, so that we can share them with others. And the way we speak about our values and beliefs — whether in person, or behind the cloak of anonymity that social media provides us — will have an impact on whether the fruit of the Spirit is a lived reality for all of us, or merely a mythical dream. Let’s choose wisely.
Let me end by re-stating the list I provided earlier, but this time in a more positive, aspirational light. Here is the challenge I am giving myself, and I am inviting you to join with me…
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words of contempt or fear, may I be inspired to speak words grounded in love and compassion;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words of despir or cynicism, may I be inspired to speak words of joy and delight;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words of rage or aggression, may I be inspired to speak words that promote peace and reconciliation;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words of panic or unnecessary urgency, may I be inspired to speak words of patience and sustainability;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words that are indifferent or uncaring, may I be inspired to speak words filled with kindness and understanding;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words that are mean-spirited or abusive, may I be inspired to speak words that embody goodness and care;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words of suspicion or jealousy, may I be inspired to speak words of faithfulness and trust;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak words that are brutal or harsh, may I be inspired instead to speak words that are tender and gentle;
- Whenever I am tempted to speak in extremist or rigid ways, may I be inspired to speak words of temperance and moderation.
One by one, we can make this world a better place, one breath, one act of kindness at a time. Let’s do it.
