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…the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
Galatians 5:22-23a (ESV)

Being stranded on the side of an interstate in the middle of nowhere somehow ended up being one of my fondest memories of this past Christmas!

How does God do it? How does He give us the confidence to know that when things go terribly wrong, blessings always follow? Whether a struggle is manageable, like a car breaking down, or tragic, like losing the love of your life, the Lord shows up in His Glory, and eventually lifts you up again.

When the car broke down, I had four twenty-something-year-old sons and a Great-Dane-sized greyhound with me. We were headed to see my sister for a sorely needed visit. Time and stresses of life had taken their toll on our sisterhood, and we both needed to reconnect with each other.

But with 18-wheelers whooshing by and a 100-miles still separating my sister and me, I tried not to think about my losses– a Christmas visit ruined, thousands of dollars in car repairs ahead, and the dilemma of how to get a family of five and a large dog to safety, and then home.

Fortunately, we don’t face these dilemmas alone.

We have the body of believers all around us. Paul explains in Galatians 5:22-23a (ESV) how the Spirit flows in and among us, manifesting Itself as fruit. He sends fellow saints to tend to our needs. I didn’t have to look hard to spot what Paul was talking about. I spotted all nine fruit of the Spirit:

1. Love conquered doom and gloom. My boys never forgot to treat each other well. Through hours of wait, we kept our sense of humor.
2. Joy replaced possible short tempers. We took funny videos of us riding in the car being towed and pretending it’s a self-driving car.
3. Peace – The police officers understood our plight and didn’t confront the tow truck driver about letting us ride on the flatbed.
4. Kindness – the tow truck driver delivered us personally to safety without extra cost, simply saying, “It’s Christmas”.
5. Patience - When we accidentally cut in line at a gas station, a funny lady in her Sunday best with a peacock-feathered hat patiently waited with smiles and no complaints.
6. Generosity – My sister drove over an hour to get us and offered her SUV for a week during the car repair.
7. Faithfulness – That funny lady with the peacock-feathered hat drove 30 minutes to find where the car had been towed and to make sure we were safe.
8. Gentleness – the staff at a local Wendys brought us in from the cold, laughed at our video of the flatbed ride, and gave us complimentary treats.
9. Self-Control – Over the years stress could have built up and caused my sister and me to say unforgettably damaging words. Our restraint kept the door open for our sisterly love to grow again. My visit and her generosity and our self-control made this possible.

At every turn, we were met with love and kindness. So much so, that I went to sleep that night praising God rather than feeling sorry for my troubles.

Doesn’t the Lord do the same for us along our walk with grief?

I never had to walk my grief alone. Even when no one seemed to understand or friends forgot to call, I simply had to ignore the enemy’s lies. I’m not alone. God promises His Holy Spirit will move among the body of believers and produce fruit. The love at the funeral, the joy and peace with friendships, the kindness of those ministering to us. The patience of others as my widow brain forgot so much. The generosity of those who brought meals. The faithfulness of those who kept visiting. The gentleness of that someone who would just sit with me and say nothing. And the self-control of those who were probably frustrated with the ups and downs of my moods as I grieved.

When I trust God with all my heart, the fruit becomes overwhelmingly obvious. Letting the fruit fill me up puts me back in the game of life.

Lord, help my sister along her journey to be open to seeing the fruit of the Spirit around her. Help her know she’s not alone and be ready to see the encouragement ready and waiting for her. Amen.