The fruit of the Spirit many children can cite... love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Each of these is not just a ‘fruit’ of the Spirit, but each of these is also a wisdom.
LOVE WISDOM – is something akin to being able to love and being able to receive love. Having the ability to love is not something that any of us can take for granted. Sometimes people cannot hold enough space for themselves, let alone another human being. Having the capacity to ‘love one another’ (as Christ has loved you) is the centrality of love wisdom.
JOY WISDOM – people with this wisdom radiate warmth and gratitude and they are therefore wise in the ways of joy. People with this form of sagacity light up the room and they’re sought after to be around. This is a person to ‘be’ like.
PEACE WISDOM – the ability to live at peace with everyone, with ourselves, with God. The shalom of God’s Presence unto the fullness of life. Peace wisdom is about believing the best about everyone, never losing hope, trying hard many times to believe the best about the other person. Peace wisdom is discernment for peace in conflict with the goal of reconciliation.
PATIENCE WISDOM – the capacity to nurture calm amid pressure that is able to manage anxiety to the extent that potentially damaging emotions like aggressive anger can be mitigated. Patience wisdom is tapped into when we replace curiosity with panic in an overwhelming situation. (Yes, I know; easier said than done!)
KINDNESS WISDOM – that branch of wisdom that is ALWAYS considering of others deeper needs, whether known and especially unknown. There is no better give of love wisdom, one to another, than kindness wisdom. It is wisdom because kindness is always an investment for future relational prosperity.
GOODNESS WISDOM – there is something ingenious and sacred in the purity of integrity, where a person is so committed to self-honesty that they bleed maturity. Goodness always blesses and therefore it is the wholeness of shalom wisdom.
FAITHFULNESS WISDOM – nothing is more important in relationships than faithfulness; not just sexual faithfulness, though this is obvious, but faithfulness that keeps its promises is a wisdom that sows blessing and accord. In a world where the term ‘anti-trust’ thrives, faithfulness wisdom is countercultural and counterintuitive, but it always works in the long run. Even when we’re occasionally betrayed, faithful responses are proven right in the end.
GENTLENESS WISDOM – this is a character trait in the wisest of people. They evoke gentleness even as they are gentle. Note the strength of gentleness wisdom; a bruised reed this wisdom won’t break, but my word, what a compelling strength gentleness wisdom is.
SELF-CONTROL WISDOM – if there’s one thing we all need more of it’s self-control wisdom. If only we’re able to stave off the temptation to have now what we could have better later, our lives will be blessed.
Photo by Charl Folscher on Unsplash
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