Living the Fruit of the Spirit: How to Cultivate Joy, Peace, and Love

Blog by Gem Fadling

A new discovery was recently made in the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. Beneath the Khaznah, or Treasury, archaeologists found an undisturbed chamber with at least twelve skeletons and items made from iron, bronze, and ceramic. This unearthing provides insight into the Nabataean kingdom, which dates back from the fourth century BC to AD 106. What an astounding discovery!

This news reminded me of the time we visited Petra many years ago. As we climbed the hill behind the Treasury, we came across a group of Bedouins.

We couldn’t speak their language or communicate with them, but I (Gem) do remember their spirit. There was a kind of joy bubbling up from within them. I remember well the way their voices lilted and how they laughed as they spoke. They were quite social and engaging even though we didn’t share a language. They were delightful.

At another nearby location, we met a shop owner named Abu Ali, who offered us some sweet tea. He had the same effervescent vibe and hospitable nature.

Back on our own continent and quite a few years later, we interviewed Father Albert Haase for our podcast. Although Father Albert is American, he evoked a similar joyful presence. He reminded me of the lively nature of the Bedouins, and it caused me to think about the way we experience people.

Maya Angelou famously said, “I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” That was certainly true for the Bedouins as well as Father Albert. I can still recall their buoyant, joyful presence.

So today I’d like to circle around this idea of vibe. Whether you have a bubbly or dry nature, whether you’re an introvert or an extrovert, whether you are technically or artfully minded, we are all putting out a vibe. When people walk away from you, what feeling will they have experienced?

Of course, you are not responsible for how others receive or perceive you. And I’m not talking about putting on a persona as if you could manage this perception. On the contrary, I’m talking about the spirit, life, and way we express ourselves in the world.

How do people experience your presence? What is your way?

All of this pondering led me to the fruit of the Spirit. At our best, people would experience the nature of the Spirit when they encounter us. No matter our personality type or bent, we have access to the fruit of the Spirit within.

This might be stretching it a bit, but we could ask, “What is the vibe of the Holy Spirit?” and follow that up by asking, “How might I exude this vibe?”

Since the fruit of the Spirit is a fruit, it is not possible to manufacture or force. It is possible to make space within ourselves for God to express himself in and through us.

Communion with God is how we experience the Holy Spirit’s vibe. We learn to trust that the one in whom we live and move and have our being can transform us and our way of being in the world. God is more hospitable than Abu Ali and even more delightful than Father Albert (and I’m sure Father Albert would agree with me).

Are you enjoying God as loving, joyful, peaceful, kind, and gentle? If not, it might be good to discern what is blocking you from receiving God as such.

Isaiah 30:18 says, “Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion.”

This is what God is like.

We can also find the ways of God in the person of Jesus. Jesus was present to all who came to him. He listened. He invited. He instructed. He mentored.

Jesus might have been busy, but he was never hurried. He always moved in God’s timing, and he shared and acted in ways that were informed by his interactions with the Father.

Jesus’ vibe was so engaging that even little children loved to be with him. Broken people and those who missed the mark found love and healing in his presence. And this same vibe is ours as well.

Colossians 2:9-10 says, “For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and in Christ you have been brought to fullness.”

How might the reality of this fullness affect your vibe?

Again, you don’t have to micromanage your behavior or change your personality, but it might be good to take notice of how people feel around you. Are they receiving the best of what the Spirit has to offer when they experience you?

In this often noisy and contemptuous culture, it is good to be an intentional person of peace, joy, and love. I pray the idea of vibe will grant you another way of thinking about your influence.

For Reflection: 

1. What aspect of the Holy Spirit do you experience most readily? How might a more regular awareness of this influence the way you move through your daily life and interactions?
2. In what ways do you feel Jesus inviting you to experience and share God’s compassion? How might you create space for this compassion, letting it flow from you as a natural expression of God’s love?
3. In what ways might you create more space for the Holy Spirit to move in and through you? Rather than striving, what does it look like for you to rest in God’s presence, allowing fruit to emerge?