"Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.”
John 15:4
A new decade, a new season of sophistication shedding the awkward growing up years of adolescence and discovery of my twenties. Thirty- the age Jesus began his ministry as a traveling preacher, teacher and healer- three roles often done in my vocation as mother. Oh the power of three, the Blessed Trinity, the union of marriage with God in the covenant of marriage, I grew up in a family of three kids and I am now a mother of three. Furthermore daily I seek to grow in the three greatest virtues : faith. hope and love. Now multiplied by decades of experience and lesson hard learned I am grateful to embrace the age of thirty by setting three intentions to grow:
1.faithfulness: This fruit withering on the vine from lack of watering in my life as I tend to become distracted and lose track of time, thus lack reliability and consistency. So a fruition of the skill of punctuality being on time to places, driving not stressed about time and honoring others ‘ schedules. Currently, I am the last car in line at my eldest preschool pick up, often arrive late for dinner and neglect making my own bedtime. So, arriving on time to show my son and their wonderful teachers I care, starting the evening eating/ bedtime wide-down process relaxed and achieving adequate sleep results in rich juicy nourishment for our family. A growth into more consistency, and reliability gives the steady unwavering faithfulness I yearn to experience from God and extend to give loved ones.
“Chronically exhausted, sleep-deprived, over busy people are
not loving, peaceful and full of joy.”
“Rest is essential to apprenticeship under Jesus.”
John Mark Comer
2. Joy: Complaining and negativity disrupts intimacy with God and my loved ones (especially husband and littles). Thus naming and counting my blessings expresses gratitude in every circumstance; thus leading to joy despite what happens. A simple thought pattern my four year master really aids me, “the bad news is ———-, good news is —“ for example “the bad news is there is a lot of traffic but the good news is we have more time to listen to podcast or music.” Thus this embracing of each challenge with response of joy in all circumstances results in continuous contentment.
3.Peace: An overall gift of giving security and serenity to those around me- especially my husband and children. Peace originates from deeply rooted contentment flowing from an abundance of self-assured confidence that I am seen, known and loved entirely by God and equipped to love my husband and children given by Him. An ability to bend in the challenges, flexible to adjust, and stood firm on the truth as a beloved daughter unconditionally delighted in, results in unwavering peace amidst storms (with toddlers lots of torrents and tornadoes both physically and emotionally).
So for my 30s, I seek to abide and bear fruit- starting with faithfulness, joy and peace.
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”
Galatians 5:22-23
What a space to reflect on all the fruits (7) and gifts of the Holy Spirit (9) by reading scripture, responding to questions and recreating with a suggested art craft and/or hymn to enjoy?
Check out my virtue study!
Virtues: The Fruits and Gifts of the Holy Spirit: A Guided Reflection to Read, Respond and Recreate https://a.co/d/0as0sPd
Comments