“…But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” – Galatians 5:22, 23.

Last night, our church hosted a scavenger hunt based on the Apostle Paul’s “Fruits of the Spirit.”  As we drove around town, there were different challenges based upon each of the “Fruits of the Spirit” and you had to select a member of your family that best represented a specific “fruit.”

We arrived at one of the stops, opened our clue, and read that we needed to select a family member that best demonstrated “Patience.”  Unexpectedly, my three boys and wife immediately looked at me.  Really?  Me?  All I could think of were the many times that I felt I had lost my patience.  The many times I had let my family down.  The many times I was grumpy.  The many times I had expected an immediate response.

The strange thing was that none of that mattered now.  When considering “patience,” they thought of me.  Long ago, my flaws had apparently been forgiven.  They chose to focus on the times when I had actually gotten it right.  I smiled.

Sometimes, we are too hard on ourselves.  Sometimes, we don’t see our own light that shines within.  Sometimes, we need someone else to remind us what we are doing right.  We can provide the blessings of God through our actions.  All of us can be the living embodiment of fruits of the spirit.