Try a Little KINDNESS

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, KINDNESS, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

We have reached the fifth of the nine fruit of the Spirit that Paul writes about to the Christians in the church of Galatia. When we as Christians allow our lives to be shaped and directed by God’s Holy Spirit, we are empowered to show kindness to others.

Matthew 5:16 points out that we can recognize a tree by its fruit: a fig tree will produce figs, a grapevine will give us grapes, and a Christian who has allowed the Holy Spirit to take the lead in his or her interactions with others will show kindness!

Kindness can influence our thoughts, words, and actions. It involves being friendly, generous, and considerate when it comes to how we think about, speak to, and act towards others. Through the power of God’s Holy Spirit, it is possible for us to be kind, even in difficult situations, such as when we aren’t in a good mood, or when we feel that others are not being kind to us.

Family Kindness Brainstorming

When we set an intention to approach our world with kindness, we are more likely to notice opportunities to show kindness, rather than letting those opportunities pass us by. Spend some time talking as a family about ways we can go about our day and move about in our world in a posture of kindness. Make a list as the ideas begin to flow! Here are some ideas for simple, everyday kindnesses to include:

1. Smile at people as we pass, rather than frowning or looking away.

2. Use phrases like "please" and "thank you" to help people feel appreciated.

3. Look behind us as we walk through a door to see if there is someone to hold it open for.

4. Le someone in front of us in line.

5. Offer to help with bags or other burdens when we see someone who is overloaded.

6. Take time to listen to someone who has a problem or challenge, especially when we know they have no one else to talk to.

7. Offer to help with tasks around the house, rather than waiting to be asked, or complaining and grumbling when we are asked.

8. Offer a compliment or word of encouragement.

Kindness is really about showing God’s love flowing through us by our actions! How can we show LOVE by our ACTIONS?

Kindness Resources

Visit the Random Acts of Kindness Foundation web site for resources and ideas related to practicing kindness.  You will find posters, calendars, bookmarks, award certificates, and coloring pages to download, as well as games, quotations, and videos to enjoy. If you become overwhelmed by bad news, this site is a great place to visit to read stories of kindness, which God can use to lighten your burden and strengthen your spirit.

Gratitude Gifts

With many stores being closed right now, many of us are doing some of our shopping online and receiving packages delivered right to our homes. Delivery workers are on the move! As an act of kindness, the Kids for Peace site suggests leaving a basket of goodies by the door for the delivery drivers to choose from. The basket might include bottles of water, oranges, chocolates—even rolls of toilet paper! Check out their web site for some fun messages of appreciation to match up with these items. 

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Parents, we are the role models of kindness for our children, and Jesus is our role model. He practiced kindness to people who were usually ignored or mistreated in the time and place in which he lived: women, children, people of other religions, the sick, the weak, the sinful. He came alongside them, provided for them, and healed them. But you know what he did for them that we have the power to do for every single person we meet? He PRAYED for them. And that is perhaps the greatest kindness we have to offer the people of the world. Take time each day to lift your family, your community, and your world before God in your prayers. Let Him know that you are coming alongside Him in the work that He wants to do in His people, that you want to be a part of His plan and His purposes. Offer Him a heart that is willing to care, to encourage, and to serve.

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32

If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superpower

Jumping for JOY
Give PEACE a Chance
PATIENCE is a Virtue

PATIENCE is a Virtue

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23) 

Photo Credit: Susan Lowry Hare

In a letter to the Christians in the town of Galatia, the apostle Paul wrote about nine good things the Holy Spirit can bring into our lives if we will allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions.  Paul called these “fruit of the spirit,” and he included PATIENCE on the list. (Some Bible translations will use the words “forbearance,” “endurance,” or “long-suffering” to refer to patience.)

Patience is the ability to handle waiting, delays, interruptions, and problems without whining or complaining. That’s a tough one for anyone who is human! After all, haven’t we all gotten impatient at times when we have to wait in a check-out line, when our food comes late in a restaurant, or when we want to talk to someone who never seems to get off the phone?  And most people can relate to jokes about our kids crying out, “Are we there yet?” when we’re on the road for a family vacation.

Baking/Conversation

Have a family conversation about some of the times that it can be difficult to show patience without the help of the Holy Spirit.  Children might think about how hard it is to wait for a birthday party to come around, or a fun vacation, or even just waiting for dinner! And most kids will relate to how hard it can be to wait our turn when we’re playing a game.

Baking provides a great opportunity to talk abut the importance of patience for good outcomes. Consider how Chelsea at Moments a Day uses baking to teach her children about patience, and then either talk about it with your kids, or guide them through a baking experience (try making banana bread, blueberry muffins, or a chocolate cake) to make the lesson come to life:

Whether it’s waiting patiently while little brother has his turn stirring, or waiting that five extra minutes – that feels like forever – for the oven to get to the correct temperature, there are small opportunities one after another that require my kids to practice patience throughout the experience. 

I ask questions like: What if we do not wait for everything to be stirred properly, and rushed through this step so that lumps of flour were not mixed up?  What if we took the muffins out before they were cooked, and half of each muffin was still wet batter?  They see through real life examples that the results of the activity would not be the same if they did not patiently do each job as it was supposed to be done. 

Even roasting marshmallows over the fire pit can present an opportunity to talk about the benefits of patience. After all, don't we all have to demonstrate patience to wait for that perfect level of goo-iness for the ideal s'more?

Experiment/Conversation

You might be familiar with the Stanford Marshmallow Experiment from the 1970s, where children could choose between one small reward (a marshmallow) immediately, or two rewards if they were willing to wait for a period of time.  You can try a version of this with your own children to start up a conversation about waiting, patience, and delayed gratification:

Put a favorite treat (like a gummy bear, M&M, marshmallow, or Teddy graham) in one bowl, and a handful of the treat in another bowl. Give your child this choice: “You can have a treat, but you have to choose: You can have the first bowl with only one treat in it before dinner, or you can wait and have the second bowl with the handful of treats in it after dinner. Are you willing to wait patiently until after dinner to have a lot more treats?”

You can follow up with a conversation: Which did you choose? Why did you make that choice? Do you think you showed patience, or not, with your choice? Do you think you made the best choice? Why or why not? (I recommend making space for their own individual opinions; they may have an interesting argument to offer!)

Based on: http://thelittlesandme.com/the-fruit-of-the-spirit-is-patience-kids-activities/

Coloring Page

Check out http://childrenschapel.org/biblestories/color/fruit_patiencecolornz.html for this fun coloring page!

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Parents, we are the role models of patience for our children. How do we behave when our order runs late at the restaurant, when we are caught up in traffic or someone is slow to turn at a light, when the doctor is running late with her appointments and we’re stuck in the waiting room with our kids? Our children are watching us and taking their cues from us. Let’s be open to God’s promptings to develop the fruit of patience in our own lives, as well.

If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superpower

Jumping for JOY
Give PEACE a Chance

Give PEACE a Chance

“The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

The apostle Paul wrote to the people of the Christian church in Galatia about NINE good things the Holy Spirit could bring about in their lives if they would allow Him to direct their thoughts and actions. These words to the Galatians, in the verse above, apply to us as well!  In the past couple of posts, we have looked at the love and joy that God can grow in our spirits, and this week we will consider the fruit of PEACE.

When we know that God is with us, we can be at peace in our spirits, no matter what is going on in the world around us. When we are at peace, we do not give ourselves over to being worried, afraid, stressed, or anxious. A sense of peace is a sense of safety, which can sometimes be hard to hold onto without God’s help. We can be at peace when we trust that God is in control, and will take care of us according to His will and His plan.

Video

If you like puppets, you might enjoy listening to Douglas explain the fruit of peace to kids in this video message. (The first three minutes contain the content, while the last minute or two are an invitation to visit Doug’s website.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPv4MqtpfNM

Craft

A bird called a dove has been a symbol for peace for many centuries. It is also a symbol for the Holy Spirit, which makes sense since God’s Holy Spirit can bring about peace in our lives and in our hearts. 

We are going to make a craft using our hand to create a dove, and it can remind us that our peace is found in Christ.

1. Trace around your hand onto a piece of white paper, and then cut the shape out. 

2. Glue it down to a piece of colored construction paper. 

3. Add a small triangle of yellow paper for a beak, and draw in an eye with a pen. 

4. You can add this Bible verse to the dove if you would like: “Christ Himself is our peace.” (Ephesians 2:14)

(Many thanks to LearnCreateLove.com for this craft idea, and to my daughter for the use of her hand for my craft pictured below.)

Song

Once you start singing “I’ve Got Peace Like a River,” you’ll have a hard time stopping! And—BONUS!—this song covers peace, love, and joy, which are the three fruit of the Spirit we have learned about so far. Check out the video below, and I know you’ll sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2R4D6qhaD8

Conversation:

Spend some time talking, parent and child, about times when you feel worried or afraid. Brainstorm together ways that you can both feel a greater sense of peace in those times. 

One great option is to pray and talk with God; whenever we feel worried or afraid, we can ask God to make us more aware of His presence, and it will give us a greater sense of peace.

Other ideas for feeling a greater sense of peace when we are worried or afraid might include: cuddling, going for a walk, reading a favorite Bible story (a good one for such times is the story of Jesus calming the storm in Mark chapter 4!), drawing a picture or doing some form of art, singing songs, and spending quiet time patting a family pet. 

Consider making a list of all of your ideas and posting it where the whole family can reference it when they need to.

(Many thanks to Pinedale Christian Church for the idea for this conversation.)

Photo Credit: Susan Lowry Hare

If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superpower

Jumping for JOY

Jumping for JOY

“The fruit of the spirit is love, JOY, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

JUMP FOR JOY!

We have been learning about the fruit of the spirit—all the good things that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions. First, we looked at the fruit of love, and now we’re going to look a little more closely at the second fruit on the list—JOY.

Have you ever enjoyed laughing at a funny joke, or felt happy about a big win on the soccer field? Have you ever had the pleasure of eating a delicious cookie, or felt the comfort of a warm hug? We usually feel pretty happy during moments like these! But God teaches us in the Bible that we can feel joy even when times are tough, and things don’t seem to be going our way.

How can that be? The Bible teaches us that the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10). With God’s help, we can feel joy no matter what is going on around us! When we come to the end of our own resources, we can call out to God and trust that in His great love, He will care for us.  

We can do all things through Christ who gives us strength (Philippians 4:13), so through the fruit of the spirit, joy, we have the strength to keep going; keep being friends with God by talking to Him in prayer; keep learning from Him by reading the Bible; and keep praising Him for His love and care. We are filled with joy when we allow ourselves to recognize that we are in the presence of God.

Song

Take a few minutes to enjoy this song by Rend Collective, “The Joy of the Lord is My Strength.” Once you know some of the words, go ahead and sing along!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3gLeCiMJqI

Movement Activity

Today’s a good day to JUMP FOR JOY! Spend some time outside with your jump rope on the next nice day. How many times can you jump the rope without stopping? Here’s a challenge: Learn the nine fruits of the spirit, and recite them, calling out one fruit every time the rope goes under your feet. Can you do it? Or try reciting Nehemiah 8:10 as you jump, saying one word every time the rope goes under your feet: The joy of the Lord is my strength.

Younger children can jump in and out of a hula hoop or a jump rope placed in a circle.

Coloring Page

Click here, and print out a coloring page for the fruit of the spirit, joy:

https://christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/BibleColoring/Fruits/FruitBB2BW.pdf

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If you missed the earlier posts on fruit of the spirit, you can find them here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

LOVE is My Superperpower

LOVE is My Superpower

“The fruit of the spirit is LOVE, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

(Galatians 5:22-23)

In the last post, we wrote about the fact that “the fruit of the spirit” refers to all the good behaviors that the Holy Spirit can bring about in our lives when allow Him to direct our thoughts and actions.

Now, we will focus on the first of the nine fruits listed in the Scriptures: LOVE.  

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can show love to others: not just to our friends and family members, but to people we don’t know, and even to our enemies!

Jesus instructs us in John 13:34: “Love others as I have loved you.” One of the ways we can demonstrate our love for others is to pray for them. Today’s craft gives us a chance to think about the people we want to pray for, and we can use it as a reminder to hold them up in prayer each day!

Here are instructions for the craft. Older children may be able to complete the steps independently, while younger children will need some help. You can see a sample of the finished craft at the end of the instructions.

Step 1: Fold a piece of paper in half, top to bottom. (Copy paper or construction paper work well.)

Step 2: Place your hand on top of the paper with your pinky finger along the fold. Use a pen to outline around your hand.	Thankful for my daughter Katy's participation as hand model :)
Step 3: Cut around the outline of your hand. I cut well inside the marked line so the ink didn’t show. Make sure you leave the left side of your pinky outline uncut; this is where the two sides of the paper will remain attached.	Step 4: Unfold the paper, and write the name of someone you are praying for on each of the fingers. You may include specific names of relatives, neighbors, and friends, or you may pray for more general groups of people, such as “doctors and nurses,” “sick people,” “people who are hungry,” or “people in our government.”

You may also include the verse from John 13:34 if you would like: “Love others as I have loved you,” as shown in the photo. Color and decorate any way you would like, and don’t forget to use your folded hands booklet to remind you to show LOVE for others through the act of prayer.

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We have time to pause before we speak or act. We can ask ourselves: "Are these words or actions coming from a place of LOVE, or from a place of anger, irritation, fear, or boredom?" When we shift to speaking and acting from a place of LOVE, we will find that our words and actions toward our family, our friends, and other people around us will shift also.

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If you missed the post introducing the fruit of the spirit, you can find it here:

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

The Fruit of the Spirit: Introduction

For the past five months, I've been serving my church as the assistant to our Director of Family Ministry. The two most recent months have taken place under stay-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 global pandemic. 

My role used to include working in the office, making curriculum adjustments and craft preparations;  connecting with volunteers and parents as Sunday school classes began and ended each week; meeting for prayer with staff; and attending special evening events and holiday services. Now I've joined the ranks of those attending meetings via Zoom, reaching out to our parents by telephone, and preparing resources that are made available through emails and Facebook posts. Both "versions" of ministry have blessed me, and of course, I hope that our efforts have been "enough" for our families, until we can meet again face-to-face.

Each week, I've been developing a set of activities to introduce our church kids to the idea of "Fruit of the Spirit," based on this verse from Paul's letter to the church in the city of Galatia:

"The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law" (Galatians 5: 22-23) 

My time as Assistant to the Director of Family Ministry comes to an end at the end of this month, and we only will have made it through love, joy, peace, and patience. My plan is to continue to develop activities for the remaining fruits, and share them here, so that I can bring the series to completion.

The idea of the fruit of the spirit is completely in line with my personal devotional reading, which has focused on what are often referred to as "the spiritual disciplines." These practices are actually ways in which we can make ourselves available to the Holy Spirit to bring about the fruit I've been sharing with our youngest church members!  After I finish this activity series about the fruit of the spirit, I am planning to move into a series that highlights what I've been learning from my reading about the spiritual disciplines. There are no accidents; I think God has been putting this together in my life for my spiritual growth, and I am happy to share the journey with anyone who stumbles upon the record of it here.

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An Introduction to the Fruit of the Spirit

At a time when we are all facing unfamiliar restrictions on our movement and activities, it is good to be reminded of our freedom in Christ and the “fruit of the spirit,” against which there is no law!

When you hear the word “fruit,” you probably think of things like bananas, apples, and strawberries. But the word “fruit” is also frequently used to describe the results or profit of something; you might have heard the phrase, “the fruit of our labor,” referring to “the results of the work we did.”

So, reread the verse above with the word “result” in place of the word “fruit,” and you will understand that this is a list of the results of letting the Holy Spirit direct our thoughts and actions.

The phrase “fruit of the spirit” refers to nine behaviors that are the result of the work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I think we can all agree that these behaviors can help us get through the current challenges we are facing! When we allow God’s Holy Spirit to work in our lives, He allows us to bear all of this good fruit.

Some of these fruits we enjoy from God’s Holy Spirit may be easier for us to define and understand than others. Let’s start with some crafts and activities that remind us of all nine fruits, and then we can focus on particular fruits in the coming weeks to make us more open to the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives.

Don’t forget that any and all of these crafts and activities can be completed while enjoying fresh (or canned) fruit, dried fruit snacks, or a fruit smoothie!

Fruit of the Spirit Bookmark:

Visit http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/Bookmarks/FruitsBookmark.pdf for bookmarks that can be printed off in color to use in your Bibles or storybooks. For a little something “extra,” you could laminate them, punch a hole at the top, and tie on yarn or ribbon.

Fruit Basket Craft

Visit http://www.christianpreschoolprintables.com/wp-content/uploads/CPP/FruitSpirit/FruitBasketCraftPack.pdf for printables available in color, or in black-and-white for you to color! Print, color, cut out, glue the fruit onto the basket, and display for a colorful reminder of the work of God’s Holy Spirit inside of us!

Fruit of the Spirit Word Search

Visit http://www.dltk-bible.com/word-search/wordsearch-fruit.htm for "easy" and "hard" versions of a  word search, so you can tailor the activity to your child’s age. Print out the word search, and let the children see if they can find all the words in the Word Bank.

Fruit of the Spirit Rock Art Activity

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No printer? No problem! Here’s a fun activity that doesn’t involve paper or printers.  Spend some time outside gathering smooth rocks. Bring them inside and wash them with soapy water. Allow to dry. Then, using acrylic/craft paint and a paint brush OR markers, such as Sharpie brand, write out a fruit of the spirit on each of the rocks you have gathered. (Remember that the nine fruits are: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.)

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If you want to get even more creative, add patterns around the word, or drawings of actual fruit, such as bananas, apples, pineapples, and grapes!

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Each family member can create their own set, OR create a “family rock garden” with everyone creating a painted rock or two. Gather the painted rocks where everyone can see them, perhaps around an indoor plant, or in a bowl or on a tray on the kitchen counter or dining room table.

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Next Post: The Fruit of the Spirit, LOVE

A God in Our Own Image

I wrote this piece about six months ago, after a conversation with a friend who does not believe in God.  He asks the same difficult questions we all do, like how can a good God allow babies to catch diseases, suffer, and die?  He has come to a different conclusion than I.  Some of my thoughts are captured here, and I welcome you to add your own thoughts in the Comments.

We are willing to worship and praise a God that we have made in our own image. 

Even unbelievers might be willing to believe in God, if He conformed more to the God they would create.

This God would stamp out hate, prejudice, and injustice, so that we wouldn’t have to do the hard work of doing it ourselves.  This God would swoop in to save all children from deadly diseases.  This God would protect us all from suffering, depression, anxiety, heart attacks, strokes, dementia, artery blockages, broken bones, twisted ankles, paper cuts, and mosquito bites. This God would preserve us from the physical and emotional pain that we can’t bear to face, and can’t stand to see our loved ones endure.  

And along these lines, then, this God would have to eliminate death, because no matter when or how it comes, it causes such unimaginable suffering in the people who are left behind, grieving the loss of one they have loved so deeply. 

This God would never allow a hurricane to ravage a coastline and leave scores dead and thousands homeless. Come to think of it, He would have to eliminate any rainfall that could lead to flooding, or really any level of discomfort that seems like an all-knowing and loving Creator would not permit.  But He would also need to step in when the sun burns too bright, when skin gets burned or blistered; what loving Creator would permit such a thing?

This God would prevent us from making poor decisions that would hurt other people’s feelings or cause them any level of grief. He would not permit us to make friends with people who will ultimately betray us.  All gossip and rumor would be squelched before it could pass our lips.  Our children would be comfortable replicas of all that we understand to be the best in ourselves, so that we will perceive raising them as problem-free.  And God would be able to sort out the features that each parent would like to see in their children, even when those features are at odds with each other.  We don’t have to worry:  God will take care of all that messiness!

With a God we create in our own image of who God should be, we would have no worries, no hardships, no ailments, no diseases, no accidents, no natural disasters, no betrayals, no bad decisions, no lost keys, no telemarketing calls, no injustice.  

We would not have to fight for anything, stand up for anything, come alongside anyone who is hurting, befriend anyone who is lonely, feed anyone who is hungry, open our homes to anyone needing hospitality.  

With a God made in our own image of who God should be, it’s His job to keep us happy and healthy, and we can just go along for the ride. 

With a God we create in our own image of who God should be, what, then, is our purpose in life? Why are we here?  What makes our experiences different from one another’s? What makes us grow, develop, or change over time? What enriches our experience of one another? What would we be moving toward? What would we care about? What would make us reach out to one another?

Twice, I had taken from me the thing I wanted in life more than anything else, the thing I was living for, the thing I had attached my identity and dreams to: First, I lost my marriage when we were just on the brink of settling in to the American dream of living in a big, beautiful house while starting a family.  Second, after re-marrying, I lost two babies before they were ever born, when all I wanted in life was to be a mother and raise them in the loving home that my husband and I had established for them.

Now, obviously, given the choice, I’m not going to say, “Wow, am I ever glad that my first husband cheated on me and dashed my dreams to smithereens, and, boy, was I ever lucky to have a couple of miscarriages before I gave birth to my daughters.”

I might even venture to say that I wish those things had not happened, and that I didn’t have to go through all that excruciating pain and recovery. 

But then I would have to confront the reality that if the first event had not happened, I would not have met and married my current husband, and I would be living NONE of the life I am currently living. And if the second event had not happened, I would not have the two girls who right this minute are shouting in fun while playing LEGOS in the next room.

Yes, other good and wonderful things might have/ could have/ would have happened.  But I would not be the person I am now, strengthened by what I have been through, and I would not have the life I have now, sharing it with these people in this place.

And being the kind of person who likes to celebrate and value and BE in the here and now, I might just go out on a limb and say that I can worship and praise a God who has put natural laws into place and has given people the freedom to make decisions, both good and bad. 

I can worship and praise a God who is MORE than anything I could ever imagine or create, a God I DID NOT create in the image of who I think God should be, a God who CAN let things happen as they will and STILL not have His purposes and plan for the good of His creation be thwarted. 

It’s a hard-won place to be to be able to say that, and I certainly wouldn’t have said it back in 2001 during my divorce, or during 2006 during my miscarriages, so I don’t expect anyone to be able to say it now just because I feel like I can. We all have to come to our own conclusions based on our own path and our own relationship with God along that path. 

I guess I just share this in hopes that someone who discards a belief in God or a life of faith because God just doesn’t measure up to what he or she thinks God should be, would consider this: 

Instead of focusing on who you think God should be, maybe you could start seeking out who God really is.

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