Resuming Normal Life (While Living Out The Fruits of the Spirit)
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
I don't know what it's like where you live, but here in Ontario Canada we are slowly starting to see a return to normal. While not gone completely, restrictions are slowly being lifted, meaning we can see people and do more activities than before.
While this is fantastic, especially after a long 15 months of COVID-19, I've found a reason why we should be very cautious and it has nothing to do with the virus itself. Allow me to explain.
During the past 15 months there are a lot of people in our lives we haven't seen much of or maybe seen them at all. Whether they are family members, friends, members of our church family, neighbours, coworkers, you name it. While physically we haven't been in the same room as these people, chances are we were still interacting with them online. And this is where the problem comes in. During COVID-19 I have noticed a drastic increase in the number of disagreements fought online, often without resolution. I have also experienced firsthand how easy it has been to interpret someone's online activity into an opinion of them. Opinions like:
"Oh look, they are posting a selfie with five other people and they aren't masked up or social distancing, they are so irresponsible."
Or
"Hey they posted an article in favour of the lockdowns. They are blinded and deceived."
Or
"They are friends with so and so, they must agree with everything that person has said. I just don't get them anymore."
It takes on many different forms, but as we have a reunion with those we haven't seen in a while are we going to be heading into those meetings and reunions with the same love we had before the pandemic? Or are we writing off the vaccinated or the unvaccinated? Are we cancelling the friend who favoured the lockdown or the one who didn't? Are we no longer interested in seeing a certain person because of their online rhetoric? Are we refusing to resume a relationship with the family member or friend we got into a fight with online?
If the answer to any of those questions is "yes", then you and I need to do a severe attitude adjustment and put our love for others back on. The fruits of the spirit are supposed to be lived out every single day, there are no exceptions because of COVID-19. No, instead this time of trial and tribulation is the perfect opportunity to allow God to entrench them even deeper in our hearts and lives.
"But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!" Galatians 5:22-23
Applying The Fruits of the Spirit
Let's allow ourselves to think through the fruits of the Spirit, thinking through some questions on how you and I can apply them today.
Love
Will I show love to those who I disagree with? Will I, out of love, put down my need to be right and instead forgive those who have hurt me and ask for forgiveness from those I may have hurt?
Joy
Instead of complaining about all I've missed out on recently, will I instead allow the joy of Jesus to take up residence in my life and embrace the gift that is today and all the joy that can be found in it with Him? Then go on to show and spread the joy to others?
Peace
Will I act as a peacemaker? Will my words, both online and in person, be about bringing people together? Will I stand up and encourage the reconciliation between people I know who are at odds with one another?
Patience
Will I have patience with the people who aren't ready to see me yet and try to be understanding of where they are coming from? Or on the flip side will I show patience and understanding to those who are asking me to do things I'm not comfortable with? Will I approach each and every situation I face with patience?
Kindness
Will I show kindness to those around us as we all try to navigate this new sense of normalcy? Will I show kindness to the employee who messed up my order? Or go out of my way to meet a need even if it's inconvenient?
Goodness
Will I selfishly cling to my own agenda and try to make up for all the things I missed out on? Or will I instead seek to foremost put the benefits and needs of others before our own? Choosing to live out the goodness of Christ?
Faithfulness
Will I use the interruption in church life as an excuse to scatter and not return to my place in the local body of Christ? Or will I show faithfulness by being found regularly in church and serving in ministry?
Gentleness
Will I approach every conversation as an opportunity to connect rather than an opportunity to argue? When I'm confronted will I live out Proverbs 15 that "a gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger" instead of adding fuel to the fire?
Self-control
Will I act with more self-control online and instead of being known for my blazing comments, instead be known as the kind of person who doesn't resort to anything but kindness online?
Yes we might have had disappointments and hurts and pain during this crazy time in our history, but what happened yesterday doesn't have to determine our today or our tomorrow. With Jesus, we are capable of not only rising from the ashes, but coming out the other side further refined in Him by the things we went through.
The Rush To Return To Normal
In our rush to return to normal, let us have at the forefront a commitment to return to the healthy relationships we had before the outbreak. Let us do whatever it takes to bridge any relational gaps we have. Whether that means letting go of any hurts or misunderstandings that happened along the way or seeking reconciliation for any relationship damaged by the COVID divide. Let us commit to live our faith out stronger than ever before to a world still in search of a saviour. Let us everyday, as we return to normal, choose to allow the Holy Spirit to turn us into a beacon of light shining in the darkness instead of a garbage truck reeking of selfishness and sin.
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