The Fruit of the Spirit: A Journey Through Life's Valleys

Life is often depicted as a journey, with its peaks and valleys, twists and turns. But what does it truly mean to live a spirit-filled life amidst these ups and downs? How can we recognize the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in our daily experiences?

As we have discussed throughout this series, the fruit of the Spirit is not an achievement we can attain through our own efforts, but rather the natural outpouring of a life surrendered to God. It's a paradox that in this surrender, we find true freedom—freedom to live as God intended and freedom from the destructive patterns of sin and self-centeredness.

However, understanding these concepts intellectually is vastly different from experiencing them in the crucible of real life. How do we recognize the Spirit's work in our lives, especially when we're navigating through difficult seasons?

The answer lies not in theoretical propositions, but in the stories of lives well-lived. It's through sharing our experiences of God's faithfulness that we truly grasp what a spirit-filled life looks like.

If you were with us yesterday, you heard Cindy’s powerful story of God’s sustaining love and enduring faithfulness through her darkest times—times she refers to as “valleys.” It was a hard story to hear and, I would imagine, an even harder one to tell.

Through tears but with great courage, she shared of a traumatic assault she experienced as a teenager, a pain and abuse-filled 31-year marriage that ended in divorce, the sudden and tragic loss of her brother to suicide, and the death of her best friend to cancer.

I don’t know about you, but as I sat listening, each step in the story hit like a hammer blow. And while I have not experienced these same valleys, I could very much resonate with the feelings of false guilt and shame that accompanied being sinned against. I, too, have asked those pesky “what if” questions—what if:
“What if…I’d been better?”
“What if…I’d have done more to help?”
“What if…I’d have tried harder…”
 “What if…I’d have prayed more…”

In these valleys, she experienced the full range of human emotions—anger, doubt, confusion, and despair. She questioned God's presence, his love, and his willingness to intervene. Many of us can relate to these feelings in our own valleys.

But here's where the story takes a powerful turn. Growing up in a Christian home, she learned about faith from an early age. But as she matured and life became more complex and complicated, questions arose. Was God still God even in the valleys? Was this faith real? Did she truly believe what she had been taught?

Through these experiences, she began to truly understand and embrace the core of the Gospel message. She realized that Jesus' death on the cross was not just a historical event, but a personal invitation to lay her burdens down.

Through her pain, she was finally able to embrace the simple truths she had been taught as a child. But before she could embrace the truth, she needed to lay down the lies she had been told and come to believe.

Psalm 139:13-14 took on new meaning for Cindy. "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." From the very beginning, God knew her and had a plan for her life. God had not abandoned her. He was there with her even when she couldn’t feel it and didn’t realize it.
 
Through her valleys, she realized the truth of Psalm 55:22: "Cast your cares on the Lord, and he will sustain you." Cindy learned to bring her guilt, shame, negative self-perceptions, and sorrow to the foot of the cross. She was carrying things that were not hers to carry—she was trying to carry things that Christ had already taken upon himself. She was free to lay them down.

The complexities of life have a way of stretching, shaping, and transforming our simplistic faith into something no less simple but exponentially more robust. It sounds too simple, “Cast your cares on the Lord.” “Lay down your burdens at Jesus’ feet.” It sounds simple until life hits you in the mouth. It sounds simple until you have something heavy to put down.  It is simple, but it’s not simplistic.
 
Cindy had to make a decision. Was she going to believe the lies of the enemy, or was she going to believe the words God spoke over her? Romans 8:1 says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." It’s simple to say. It’s NOT simple to do.
As she surrendered these burdens to Christ, she began to see the most amazing thing happen, the fruit of the Spirit began manifesting in her life in remarkable—dare we say, supernatural—ways:

1. Love: She developed a deep compassion for hurting teens, people in difficult marriages, and those contemplating suicide.
2. Joy: She found joy in her children, grandchildren, and a new blended family.
3. Peace: She learned to rest in God's presence, even in the midst of trials.
4. Patience: She persevered through long seasons of difficulty, clinging to God's promises.
5. Kindness and Goodness: Her experiences fueled a desire to help others facing similar struggles.
6. Faithfulness: Despite her questions and doubts, she held onto her faith.
7. Gentleness: Her trials softened her heart towards others who are hurting.
8. Self-control: She learned to resist the temptation to pick up old burdens and instead cling to God.

Cindy’s story reminds us that the fruit of the Spirit isn't just a list of admirable qualities, but the natural outworking of a life surrendered to God, even (and especially) in the midst of life's valleys. And as we experienced yesterday, our valleys can even be used to encourage and comfort others. God and bring beauty for ashes. He can, as the prophet Joel says, “Repay you for the years the locusts have eaten.” (Joel 2:25a)

Now, as Cindy challenged yesterday morning, go and tell your story. Only God knows who might need to hear it.

(Blog Post for March 29, 2025 Sermon: Fruit of the Spirit)