Fresh Fruit

A Journey Through the fruit of the spirit for the modern woman.

We hear it every day.  It's reinforced a million different ways. 
As women, we're to live under no one’s control.
We wear independence like a crown; we’re strong and productive – all on our own. We don’t need anyone to tell us what to do, and we certainly don’t want to be perceived as weak and dependent.
We can juggle our jobs, our families, and our friends.
We venture into more social commitments than we can count, all the while modeling for those watching us that busy is synonymous with important. Successful. Accomplished.  
We take on committees, teach a class at church, play music, have girls' nights, and we may even go back to school or sign up for yoga 3 times a week.  These are all important, right?  Maybe it's doing things for others - like taking on an extra shift at work for a friend who is overloaded.  We have this notion that it makes us more attractive when we can make our own decisions, not constrained by anyone’s opinion or control.  And it only gets worse as we get older. In fact, ‘dependent’ and ‘controlled’ is exactly what we’re called to be.
Not weak. Not pathetic. Just meek. 
And above all, obedient.
We are never more like Christ than when we allow ourselves to be totally controlled by God, completely ruled by His hand. Only then do we produce things that are pleasing to Him.
And it's not always easy.

How fascinating that, in the end, we find ourselves most content when we're in this state—
this dynamic endeavor of living under His control.

Galatians 5:22-23a (tlb) says, “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives he will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control…”
These beautiful traits we want so desperately to be a part of our lives ONLY come as a result of our total submission to His control.

This fruit comes after we’re obedient to Him.