Fruit for the picking

"But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely."

-Galatians 5:22, The Message

I wish a fairy makeup&hairmother (as opposed to godmother) would quickly and deftly work on my outer shell every morning before I awoke. If she would just pump my limp, lifeless, pillow-molded hair into a voluminous, wavy mass and artistically create the illusion that I have eyes, lips and check bones (features not detectable to the human eye without it), it would save me that mid-morning mountain I face every morning. "Getting ready"....ughhh...some women merely pinch a little rosiness into their cheeks, dab some Vaseline on their lips and out into the world they go. For me, it's a primitive form of reconstructive 'surgery' every morning. Some might say, "why do it?", especially if the only people who will see you that day are your children and husband. Truthfully, in part, it's for me. I feel like I'm more efficient, more confident...that I've actually put the key in the ignition of a new day. On top of that, I feel it only right to give my children and husband something at the very least, decent, to look at when casting a glance in my direction. Otherwise, my children would have thought they were the only ones whose mommy didn't have lips or eyelashes.



Yes, my friends..that is all external. Here today, gone tomorrow.



The core of me, however, desperately needs the grace of God and the 'pumping' of the Spirit to be a beautiful fragrance to the Lord, and then, to others. Far more is needed to maintain inner beauty than outer...and thankfully I serve a God who has the supplies in generous quantities whenever I need it. It's a matter of me tapping into it or not.



Like yesterday, for instance.



I was coming home from a pediatric appointment, (at which I found my child has an average height & weight-I am extremely thankful-and above-average head size) and zipped down a little side street in order to shave off, let's say 1 mere minute from my trip home (no one had waved a flag. I'm not sure what my hurry was). Instead, I found myself behind a large 18 wheeler hauling huge honkin' construction machinery behind it. The truck (due to maneuvering purposes, I'm sure) had stopped well behind the invisible 'car detectors' that speak to the traffic light, telling it to kindly turn green. I sat there for what seemed like 10 minutes. I was talking to my sister on the cell phone and started ranting about this "dumb" truck I'm behind and how the light must be malfunctioning. I had hit my shallow limit for waiting and told her that I had to go "and do something about it". With two babies in my backseat and a big old 18 wheeler in front of me, I'm not sure what exactly I thought I was going to do...fling myself into the center of the busy intersection and start playing traffic cop (a dream job for a choleric personality, of which I have a fair measure of)? Climb up the side of the truck and knock on his window and inform him that he should not be on a dinky little side street, that he should stay on the highways and byways like a good little trucker man should? Climb the traffic light poll and unscrew the green light to opposing traffic?



Needless to say, the green light bopped on as soon as I snapped my cell phone shut.



Oh, how I need the Spirit of God to intravenously feed me with the Fruits of His spirit, which include patience!-into my being. Most gratefully, while the " Fairy Makeup&hair-Mother" is impossible to find, the Fruits I need are plentiful for the picking!