The writing of this column came about as a result of my discovery that a CUCUMBER is a FRUIT! But…according to Wikipedia, it is perceived, prepared, and eaten as a vegetable. Hmmm? TOMATOES, too? Yes, they are botanically fruits, but are vegetables for culinary purposes. Confusing to say the least, so ‘veggiefru’ could be a good name for them.

It is amazing how God worked it out that we have to wait for certain fruits to be ‘in season’ before we can enjoy them fully! From my vast and highly unofficial research (finding them in the grocery store and eating them in my kitchen) here are my favorites by season:

*Summer- cantaloupe

*Fall- apples

*Winter- oranges

*Spring- strawberries

*Year round- bananas

*Favorite ‘veggiefru’ – tomatoes

Simply put, fruit starts with a planted seed, or more officially from a planted, seed-associated structure. Water it. It will grow. Eat it. Yum!

Ready for some personal fruit inspection?

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

When we receive Christ, the Holy Spirit plants a seed in our hearts that produces the fruit of the Spirit. So, what should we do with the seed within us? Water it and allow it to grow by spending time in prayer, in worship, and in reading God’s Word.

I would like to challenge you to join me for the next 9 days (or 9 weeks or 9 months, if you prefer) in studying the 9 virtues that make up the fruit of the Spirit- one at a time, asking God to help you ‘hide them in your heart’ more than ever before, so that we, as Christians, can be more effective in showing the love of God to the world.

Here are some ideas that may be ‘fruitful’ when teaching your children, a Sunday School class, Bible study, or in your personal devotion time:

*Print each virtue on an index card or post-it note. Post one virtue a day (or week or month) somewhere that you see it frequently, like the refrigerator door or on a mirror.

*Pray for that virtue to grow in you.

*Practice the virtues: Volunteer at a food bank. Visit someone in a nursing home or hospital. Send cards to someone serving in our military. When teaching children, act out scenarios to practice the virtues. Make crafts/artwork of the fruit of the Spirit. Intentionally do and say things that show the virtues. You get the idea….go for it!

Here they are, along with some verses to inspire:

1) LOVE- Love one another. 1 John 4:7

2) JOY- The joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:10

3) PEACE- Live in peace. 2 Corinthians 13:11

4) PATIENCE- Run with patience the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1

5) KINDNESS- Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving as God forgave us. Ephesians 4:32

6) GOODNESS- Hate the evil, cling to the good. Romans 12:9

7) FAITHFULNESS- I fought a good fight, I finished my race, I kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

8) GENTLENESS- Speak evil of no one, avoid quarreling, be gentle, and show courtesy to all people. Titus 3:2

9) SELF-CONTROL- One without self-control is like a city broken down, and without walls. Proverbs 25:28

A final ‘saying’ that might apply: Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit… Wisdom is not putting it in your fruit salad. In the same way: Knowledge is knowing about the fruit of the Spirit… Wisdom is putting it to good use- or would ‘God use’ be the more appropriate term?

Got fruit? If not, go out on a limb- or a vine. That’s where the fruit is.

Let me know how your study of the fruit of the Spirit goes. I’m on Facebook, Messenger, and my email is ann.loveu4ever@gmail.com. Or… leave your thoughts on salisburypost.com webpage at the end of my column. I would love to hear from you.