Paul is ranting about the warfare between the flesh and the spirit, what the spirit wants is at warfare with the flesh and what the flesh wants is at warfare with the spirit. He then provides a long list of the fruits of the flesh, none of which are good – licentiousness, strife, envy, carousing. But he finishes with a wonderful list of fruits of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience. He finishes this bit the recommendation that if we are going to live by the Spirit, we should also be guided by the Spirit. How simple to hear, but not easy to do!
The pre-mission trip reflection asks me to think about the people on the trip and their traits that might get under my skin, when thrown together for an intense week. I’m sure that will happen, but because they’re a group from Ohio, and I know only one person in the group, I don’t know what I don’t know about everyone else.
I am reminded, however of the group of people I journeyed with through my discernment process for ordination. It was a long 5 years of intense weekends, with disparate people, asked to share intimate things. I would return to work after a weekend, and grouse to an interested co-worker. She’d listen kindly to my complaining about this person or that quirk. At one point, she remarked that it sounded like we were being formed into a group of disciples, and she listed off all of the grousing and quirks of the original group of 12 journeying through their discernment together. Well, um, yeah.
There is value in the process that groups go through, even the rough bits. That is true when we all remember the fruits of the spirit. Even with the traits and quirks that I find irksome, can I remember to treat everyone with the fruits of the Spirit? With love, and joy and patience?
This morning, I’m thinking about how groups of Jesus-followers are formed into disciples, with all of our human, fruits of the flesh traits. If we can remember and be led by the fruits of the Spirit, none of the rest of that matters. We can overcome all of that.
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