The Hardest Fruit of the Spirit

We all know the different fruits of the spirit but I want to talk about the one fruit of the spirit that is toughest to deal with. You're probably thinking, "What do you mean hard to deal with? All the fruits of the spirits are good things." Well not exactly.

If you read the NIV version of Galatians 5:22-23 you'll get a list of the fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That doesn't sound too bad does it? Faithfulness can be hard sometimes and self-control is tough but the rest of those aren't tough at all. I can do peace! Peace is easy! Give me some joy any time and love! Love is great! Well there is one that it worse than you think, it's patience.

I'm not saying that because I find it hard to be patient but rather because I'm not sure everybody truly understands what patience means. The fruit of the spirit patience does not mean the kind of patience we have when we are sitting at a red light or when we are at the DMV. The King James version of Galatians 5:22-23 doesn't even say patience, it says longsuffering. That's right, longsuffering, doesn't sound so great now does it? It's bad enough that suffering is a fruit of the spirit, but for it to be specifically LONG suffering makes it even worse.

Some people might think that their idea of being a Christian is always being happy and joyful 100% of the time. The real Christians are just sitting back with their feet propped up with no problems because they are so in tune with God that there is nothing wrong. That's not the case though. Chances are if everything is happy-go-lucky for you then it's quite the opposite. If you're happy at all times you've probably given into something evil in order to feel that way. The people who are really in Christ will feel discouragement, disappointment, rejection and sometimes even depression.

But Peter tells the Galatians that there is hope. While the church stood in the midst of trials and tribulations Peter told them "when you were in the midst of trials, tribulations, trouble and tragedy, you ought to recognize that God is at work in it and in you." Later Peter says, "After you have suffered for a little while the God of all grace will perfect you, establish you, strengthen and settle you." This passage reminds me of lyrics to a song I like also. In the song "The Turnaround" by Matthew West he sings, "If I wasn't drowning I wouldn't need you to save me, if I wasn't broken I wouldn't need you to heal me."

Again we are told something similar in James 1:2-4 when we are told "Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds, because the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

These are just a few of many instances where we are told suffering is a good thing, we will never be complete, perfect, strong or established unless we first suffer and then God heals us. Christians will suffer, not only that but it will be longsuffering. God knows we can worship him and pray to him and follow him when we're happy and joyful and at peace, but what's more important to God is when you can still do all those things despite longsuffering.