The fruit God coaxes out of my once broken heart is the salve for healing broken relationships.
The Master Gardener coaxes Fruit from my Once-Broken Heart
God is a Master Gardener and His soil is my restored heart. I’m like a branch of the vine, all I need to do is cling to the vine, receiving life-giving nutrients. That’s my work – keep clinging to the Vine.
God’s work in me produces a harvest of fruit in the form of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.
But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence). Against such things there is no law [that can bring a charge].
Galatians 5:22-23 AMPC
I think it’s interesting that the fruit God mentions are characteristics that all have to do with great relationships. For instance, you don’t see “hard worker” or “wage earner” on the list. Neither do you see “memorizer of Scripture” or “Bible study leader” on the list. Nope – all the fruits of the Spirit are related to how we get along with people.
My Fruit is for Healing Broken Relationships
The fruit God produces in me is not meant for me to stockpile and keep and enjoy myself. This fruit is meant for someone else. It’s meant to be given away.
It is not that God makes us beautifully rounded grapes, but that He squeezes the sweetness out of us.
Oswald Chambers
The fruit He coaxes out of my once broken heart is the salve that heals my broken relationships.
Healing broken relationships can be very hard. It may not depend entirely on you. But as far as it does, if it is at all possible, God asks us to live in peace with others. Even those who are very difficult to get along with.
My books, Making Peace with Prickly People, and Mindful: Meditate & Color Your Way to Life-Giving Relationships, can help you along that journey (these are affiliate links). Learn more about both books at PricklyPeople.com.