Fruit of the Spirit

 I do not do well speaking in front of a group. I have no musical ability. I cannot sing or play the piano. Actually, there are a lot of things I cannot do. Some things I can do, although I have to work at it. What I strive for is to live by the "Fruit of the Spirit" which is "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." Some are harder than others to develop. However, these are the things I wish for others to witness in me. 

Embarrassment

I hate when others witness an event that totally embarrasses me. I have yet to learn to laugh at myself, but I am trying. 

     I remember a winter day when there was ice on the ground, and the exit from my office was downhill. The pavement was frozen over. I looked around to see if there was anyone in the parking lot who might come to my rescue. Seeing none, I bent my knees to get low to the cement and inched down, duck-walk style,  practically on my rear, to prevent myself from falling. Totally ungraceful! Unknown to me, a friend was actually sitting in his truck watchful, and laughing. 

     Another time, I was in a meeting. I pushed my chair back to get up and got one foot tangled in the leg of the nearby chair and immediately landed on the floor. I bounced up so quickly that half of the people in the room did not even see the event, but the nearby ones did. I bet that was the quickly recovery for an old lady they had ever seen! 

     What brought all this telling of embarrassing moments on? It was two things. First, my daughter told me about something she did a few weeks ago which embarrassed her, and she was just now able to laugh and share it. The other was a scripture I read this morning in Hebrews 12:1. “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” 

     Witnesses around me are watching! This encourages me to act in such a way as to please my Father. I do not want to embarrass Him or hinder His work here on earth. 

     

A Witness

I have a friend and only he could tell this story to make it really funny, but I will try my best to give it justice. However, you would have to know the guy to understand that these things just kind of things naturally happen to him.
     He had traveled to visit a relative. They lived in a housing addition where all the complexes were built alike. Having spent a few days with them, he decided to venture out on his own to do some shopping. Upon returning, his relative was not home so he went upstairs to take a nap. When he woke, he returned downstairs and immediately noticed a stone fireplace. In his sleepy state he thought, “I don’t believe I remember a fireplace.” It was then he realized he had entered the wrong house, slept in the wrong place, and might get caught in someone’s else house. He charged back upstairs, grabbed his shopping bag, and existed the house as fast as possible. 
     He had a knee jerk reaction. He did not want to be witnessed coming out of a stranger’s house. I believe we all have knee jerk reactions. Most of us have, at some time or other, accidentally taken an unexpected fall and immediately jumped up and looked around to see who might have witnessed the embarrassing incident. 
     When we think of a witness we imagine that they tell what they have heard and what they have seen. This is exactly what Jesus tells us to do. “You will be witnesses, telling people about me everywhere

The Witness

     Last Sunday our pastor talked about how our prayers need to lead to action.  That is so true, yet so many of us miss opportunities because we live such busy lives.  We often miss the quiet nudging from God.  Then other times we feel it but don't take action because we are either too shy, too reserved, or just too afraid of either failure or what others will think. 
     In my own life, I have missed opportunities because I did not know what to say or how to say it, and I have had to live with the guilt of "what if?"  I was weak, lacked courage and, most of all, faith. 
     The questions I used below were found in a column I once read on "How To Share Your Faith."

The Witness

 I passed him on the street-

He was grungy and not at all clean and neat.

I silently wondered, “Do I dare?”

As I smelled the uncleanness in the air.

 

Ashamed, I turned and walked back by,

stopping to say a friendly ”Hi!”

 

Then I asked, “Do you have a spiritual belief?”

He didn’t turn to leave, much to my relief.

I let him talk a while

Listening with a smile.

 

“To you, who is Jesus?” I soon asked.

He said he had heard of him in the past.

So I questioned more,

Hoping to open a long-closed door.

 

 “Do you believe in a Heaven and Hell?”

He needed to know where he would eventually dwell.

I had no response for his yes or no,

As he bowed his head and answered low.

 

A tear fell as I touched his hand.

This was new to me for I had no witness plan.

My courage was fading fast

Until I heard some words at last.

They tumbled out-

I said it softy though I wanted to shout,

“If you died today, where will you go?

If what you believe is not true, would you want to know?”

 

 I felt so helpless standing there.

All was silent; not a breeze stirred the air.

 

I waited, hoping, wanting to tell the story-

Wanting to share God’s glory.

Yet he’d had all he wanted to hear,

And I watched as he walked away and slowly began to disappear.  

 

My tears began to fall;

I felt so small. 

Then I heard a voice say

As I began to pray,

“Don’t have regrets;

  For sharing my words with a stranger you met.

Well done,

My faithful one!”

                                               Mary Crisp Jameson    2-14-2014