I asked the Lord what He was going to give me for my 49th birthday this year and He said, “Peace”.
One year, I asked and He gave me “Joy”. It came in the form of my mountain bike and reconnecting with the sheer joy of flying down hills with the wind in my hair.
The word “peace” came so quickly into the ear of my mind that I could tell He’d been plotting what to surprise me with. It is the perfect gift so that I can truly relax and enjoy this awesome life He’s blessed me with.
The flip side of “peace” is “trust”. If I am to experience perfect peace, I am free of fear because of one thing: I trust implicitly.
From the all about God website, I see that the Lord is giving me each year more of the fruit of the Spirit:
Fruit of the Spirit - Visible Growth in Jesus Christ
"Fruit of the Spirit" is a biblical term that sums up the nine visible attributes of a true Christian life. Using the King James Version of Galatians 5:22-23, these attributes are: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance. We learn from scripture that these are not individual "fruits" from which we pick and choose. Rather, the fruit of the Spirit is one ninefold "fruit" that characterizes all who truly walk in the Holy Spirit. Collectively, these are the fruits that all Christians should be producing in their new lives with Jesus Christ.
This is so meaningful to me because I long to squeeze every ounce out of my experience here while I can; to “suck the marrow out of life” in a non vegetarian vernacular but vividly meaningful. He is giving me ways of achieving the desires of my heart.
If I end life fully endowed with the fruit of the Spirit, I will have gained all. Like the Apostle Paul says: "Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" - Philippians 3:8
I am in a phase where God is blessing me with all things so Paul’s words aren’t an exact match for my experience. But his bottom line is: gaining Christ; which is at the core of my matrix.
As God continues to give me, year by year, a more complete understanding and possession of the fruit of the Spirit so that our union becomes stronger, deeper, and closer I will gain Christ, who is the Pearl of Great Price the Spirit of God is helping me to seek.
