The fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.                                                                                 Galatians 5:22-23

Standing over my father’s shoulder, staring down the long, pasture-lined highway, the excitement was building. I couldn’t wait to get there. To that special place with so much to explore. The fresh air, rolling hills, and steak for breakfast – Nan-Naw and Pa-Paw’s house!

My grandparents lived in a different state, so my family visited primarily during summer vacation and Thanksgiving break. I loved it there. Surrounded by my cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents and all that space. So much for us to do yet nothing but the land and our imaginations. 

My grandparents owned a beautiful piece of property with a few outbuildings and a small home where they raised their five children. I always wondered where they put all those kids in that meager home. On part of the property, my grandfather had several apple trees. I remember the time and care my grandfather took tending to his small orchard. Making sure the trees were free of pests and disease and gently caring for the fruit they produced. He would even stretch white fabric underneath the trees, elevated off the ground to catch the apples as they fell to prevent damage to the fruit. 

Oh, how I loved it when he would pick a fresh apple, cut it with his pocketknife, and offer me a slice. What I didn’t fully comprehend or appreciate as a young girl was the fact that more than one type of apple was produced from a single tree in my grandfather’s orchard. But how could that be? How is that possible?

My grandfather would graft a branch from one tree onto another of a different type. As a result, an individual tree would yield different types of apples. How neat is that?! 

In the same manner, the fruit of the spirit is not limited to one type. When reading Galatians 5:22-23, I began to wonder, “How can this be? … How can such a variety of fruit come from one source? Then, I remembered my Pa- Paw’s orchard and the answer seemed clear and simple. 

When we allow the Holy Spirit to become part of us, we yield a variety of fruit. We continue to produce fruit as before, but it is enhanced and increased. The fruit called love being of primary importance. I Corinthians 13:13 states, “But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the greatest of these is love.”

From love through faithfulness, we will find joy, peace, and patience. As a result, we produce kindness, generosity, gentleness, and self-control.

By allowing God to work in our lives, grafting the Holy Spirit to us, we are able to bear all of the fruits of the spirit.

As tasty and satisfying as the apples were from my grandfather’s orchard, so is the fruit of my life and yours when enhanced by the Holy Spirit.