Forever fruits...

Proverbs 22:6
"Train up a child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it."

The following is an open letter to my son:

Y'know, when you invest your time and love in another person , and you finally start to see your efforts bearing fruit, that is an amazing feeling.

Nine and a half years ago, you came into our lives. Your mother and I weren't sure what to expect when a bespectacled seven-year-old came into our lives, walked into our humble little trailer and exclaimed "sweet! I have my own room!"

The first time you called me Daddy, I knew I was hopelessly lost.

Your life with us has been at times a battle, at times, a heartbreak, and at other times, absolute bliss. There have been times we've been so worried for you, we couldn't sleep.

Now, getting close to ten years later, you've grown into a handsome young man. Not only that, you've grown in other ways that touch my heart. Fewer are the moments of frustration,  and greater are the moments when I see a glimpse of the great man you are becoming.  Over the last two months, and even moreso, over the last three weeks, I have seen you exercise a maturity and a tender heart that make me realize, I was right to stay strong through the hard times.

I am proud to call you son, and look forward to seeing you grow fully into a man of strength and integrity.

Now I'm going to go have a little cry...a happy one.

Troubled hearts

^{Galatians 5:13-26
13} You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh^[a]; rather, serve one another humbly in love. ¹⁴ For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”^{[b] 15} If you bite and devour each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other.
¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever^[c] you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.
²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

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It's early morning before Church on a Sunday. I'm sitting in my recliner, just thinking and praying. The dog's been for a walk, a short one since she wasn't all that fond of the cold. I can hear a cat crunching kibble in the kitchen. It's peaceful.

Yet my heart is troubled. Life is complicated. While I try to live by the standards of integrity my father taught me, it's not a value that seems to be shared by a lot of people. I'm troubled because I see my son growing up in a world that values nothing but self gratification.

I know God has me in His hands and His grace is more than sufficient, but still those worries sneak in. Values that seemed so common when I was young are increasingly pushed aside by entertainers, politicians, and other influential people in society. All of the acts of the flesh can be seen in a single half hour television program.

Living by the fruits of the spirit gains one mockery and contempt. But, isn't that what Jesus said would happen? "As they hate me, so they will hate you." Looking at other countries, there are others who have it much worse. We are headed in that direction as western society continues to implode.

Let's not confuse this with the false martyrdom some are prone to. Those who act in a deliberately offensive manner, publicly condemning those they feel do not measure up. There's a difference between being hated because we are living Christ, and being hated because we're acting like jerks.

Let us be filled with joy. Let us act embrace peace. Let us be patient. Let us show kindness. Let us do good for our neighbor. Let us never forsake those we have committed ourselves to. Let us be gentle. Let us show that we don't have to satisfy every passing desire, just because we can. Let's love so strongly that people will be amazed and see, not us, but Christ living and loving through us.