Hi blog! Happy almost February!
At our retreat last weekend Bryan had us look again at what it is to abide and bear fruit. Honestly this moment was one of my favorite moments of the weekend because I got to affirm the fruit that I see growing in my lovely friends!! And it's super special bc I had already planned to write my blog about the fruit of the spirit, it just feels even more timely now.
So here’s a (nonexhaustive) list of some ways I see the Fruit of the Spirit play out in my friends. Grateful for a God that grows and sustains these in each one of us through the rain and the pruning. And so grateful I get to see his heart in these 14 faces I love so.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
Jenna daily shows me the love of the Lord. Being with Jenna is like a warm hug, a whisper of “you belong here” that pulls people in and shows them the heart of the Father. A line in one of my favorite worship songs is “Unreserved, unrestrained. Your love is wild, your love is wild for me. It isn’t shy, it's unashamed. Your love is proud to be seen with me.” Jenna makes this deep love of the Lord visible to me. It’s a gift to be loved by her, it shows me Jesus.
I am so grateful for the ways that Elijah displays what it is to have the joy of the Lord be your strength. There is a deep joy evident whenever he speaks about the things of the Lord whether that be a specific text we are reading, something he is studying for work, the movement of the Spirit, or really anything. Elijah shows deeply what it is to not just follow the Lord, but to follow the Lord with deep joy and excitement for the work that he is going to do.
In AG I frequently see the joy of the Lord. But it's not a passive surface level joy, its a hard fought joy that has been formed in clinging to the Lord in the ups and downs. AG is quick to enter into the joys of others, so many times she has made space for me giving even the smallest joys and sorrows full attention. She reminds me that even those small joys have eternal weight. She reminds me to hold close to those even when things feel heavy.
In Skip I see the peace of Christ, but it is a peace that is so much deeper than the shallow passivity I often confuse with peace. Skip holds deep convictions and he is not in a rush. And through him I am learning that that is much more what peace looks like. It's a willingness to sit with things, to say “I want to think about that more”, it's a willingness to both listen deeply and speak clearly, both in their time.
Bryan is so often the first to listen without a rush. He has listened to me compain hundreds of times about the same things and yet his patience still feels so genuine. That is a deep gift that so quickly shows me what it is that the Lord listens to my cries without shame and without rush. Bryan is so willing to sit with people in joy and sorrow and just the ins and outs of day to day life without the expectation of anything in return. That patience with people is a fruit that points directly to the gardener.
In Tessa I see the kindness of the Lord. The kindness to see others, to create space, to lean into vulnerability, to speak with truth, to notice and acknowledge and encourage. I have seen the Lord’s kindness to me in the way that Tessa has seen me in moments I really needed to be seen and known. In her is a strong and steady kindness that points so steadily back to the kindness of our God.
Bailey is truly the most incredible reflection of the kindness of God. He loves people faithfully and truly and seeks their well being, always with care and intentionality in big and small ways. He cares to show up for people in even the littlest ways, like making sure the kind of pickles are right. You can see it in the ways that he talks to people and also so fully in the ways he talks about people- I am so frequently impressed by the ways his kindness shows me Jesus.
Celeste’s heart is so beautifully oriented toward the goodness of God. She wants to seek/know/implement what is good and right, to wrestle with it if it's not immediately apparent, to fight for it if necessary. It’s something that I learn from daily. This week she told me how much she values seeking truth even if we know we won’t ever fully get there. To me that is the work of the Spirit, that is believing we will see the goodness of God in the land of the living.
When I think about Josh and the way he reflects the heart of the Lord I think about Eugene Peterson’s phrase ‘a long obedience in the same direction’. Josh is wise and steady and so frequently shows me the Lord’s faithfulness. I see it in his kindness to teach me things about my job I don’t know anything about, in his intentionality to ask questions and learn more about things, to show up over and over again for people when its easy and when its not. That is faithfulness that sings of the faithfulness of our God.
Emma shows me what it is to be faithful. I saw her faithfulness so clearly this week as she told me how she thinks and plans and prays for the future. The way she courageously holds her hopes with assurance but also complete surrender and willingness to follow the direction of the Lord. I see faithfulness in the way that when she tells me she will pray for me I know without a doubt that she means it. A faithfulness that over and over points me to the God who is worthy of all our faith and worship.
Joe has shown me the gentleness of God as we try to sort out this next season. He is quick to be inquisitive and learn more about what I want for my future, quick to show me options and opportunities, and all without the pressure or fear or scarcity that I am so quick to heap on myself. Joe’s friendship shows me a gentle kindness that reminds me that I don’t have to flail through a job search all by myself. This is a gentleness that mirrors the heart of God.
Evy is a safe space. A gentleness of spirit and heart that echoes the calls of the Lord which bid me come and rest. She is honest and kind and vulnerable with a gentleness that shows me that my deep fears and emotions and longings are welcome and safe. She shows me that I am seen and loved by her and by the Father. I could not be more grateful.
I see the fruit of self-control in Ryan as he seeks to follow the Lord faithfully. I am consistently impressed and challenged by the ways that Ryan is willing to put himself aside to ask the question not how do I make following the Lord work for me, but how do I faithfully follow the Lord? And he does so with curiosity, wisdom and honesty. I learn more about following the Lord from his friendship.
As I reflected on ways Ashley has shown me the love of God the words that came to mind were intentionality, empathy, honesty, and as I sat with so many of those I realized how much of that is self-control. Ashley has such good awareness of herself and the ways that she needs to show up for others. I have been just so incredibly and consistently impressed by her vulnerability and compassion while gracefully navigating the demands of this role. The more and more I watch her lead the more I see how incredibly difficult this job is and the more I am just so impressed with the way that Ashley shows the love and care and self-control and very heart of Jesus to each one of us.
One thing David Spikard said in Just Leadership that I still think about frequently is that we need different people not just for the sake of checking a box, but we need each other because it is in our individuality of thought and experience that we get to glimpse a little more fully at the fullness of God’s character. I am so grateful for all of the little pieces of God’s heart that I get to see reflected here.
January Stats:
LinkedIn connections- 215
Snows- 2
Cries- 15
Crafternoons- 1 (but they're in in 2025 so here's to making more happen)
New year, new verse of the year, new benediction!
So, even here his hand will lead and hold me!
All my love!
Lola