"Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control: against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires." Gal 5:19-24
What does it look like to grow the virtues and the fruit of the Spirit inside of us? What uses of our time grow us into Christ and help us kill "passions" and "desires"?
Before answering these questions we need to get some clear ideas from Galatians. If you look at the list provided of examples of living by the flesh (and Paul's summary terms "passions" and "desires" at the end of the section), you notice the concept that runs through it as the root cause is lack of self-control. The person engaging in such behavior is out of control. I immediately think of the stereotypical 18 year old freshman first heading off to college (think: Animal House) and my one year old at dinner time. There is only desire; there is only will to act in the now. The will to control and subject those desires is non-existent. When Rushing wants food he wants it NOW! Desire holds sway over the will, and wickedness and foolishness follows.
Paul bookends his list of the fruit of the Spirit with the two opposites of selfish passion: "love" and "self-control". Instead of unbridled desire, we find the character of someone driven by perspective: "What is the best thing for the other? How can I best love him? How can I be kind and gentle?" As Cornel West puts it, "Tenderness is what love looks like." So then, Paul can be summarized with the idea that, "The ungodly are lead by selfish passion and lack of wise lovingkindness, but those who are in Christ are lead by self-control and love for the other."
What should we spend our lives doing to encourage loving and gentle self-control? While watching the boys awaiting the birds this morning, I was thinking of Galatians 5 and what habits of the Spirit were being produced by birdwatching. Patience came to mind first, followed by peace and self-control. Finally though, I realized how joyful the boys are (including Rush getting so excited!) when a particularly vibrant bird comes to the feeder. (Bluejays, Cardinals, and Goldfinches are our favorites.) Seeing something wonderfully and beautifully made produces Love.
Two other activities that might produce the right kinds of fruit in your kids' lives: growing a garden and listening to classical music. Two of the blessings of growing something are that it takes you outside and it takes time. You have to be interacting with the creation and getting your hands dirty. On top of that, the growing of anything reminds us that there is a time for planting and a time for waiting and a time for harvesting, a vital lesson for learning perseverance amid suffering.
Classical music blesses us in this same way by forcing us to wait for themes to be developed throughout a work prior to reaching climax at the finale. That is, it is the exact opposite of popular music, where we are allowed to have a "finale" every 40 seconds or so. (Here is a great example. If you clicked this link, I bet you tapped your foot.) Beethoven makes me wait for 35 minutes! Who cares if that climax is so much more fulfilling?! I don't have time to wait! Many more examples come to mind: microwaves vs. charcoal, video games vs. board games, American football vs. soccer, time of "doing" vs. time for reflection and contemplation. The question to ask is, which pastimes and "hobbies" will instill in me and my children a delight in the Creator and a likeness to Christ? Pursue those things.
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