Fruit

There are many moments during one's childhood that make such an impression that they are remembered for a lifetime. These are the moments that we use to learn, to grow, and most importantly to laugh. :) I've had several of those that make me cringe, "What was I thinking? Certainly that wasn't me!" My mother can confirm, however, that there was in fact a scrubbed down milk tin found in the nearby cow pasture creek given to her by her oldest 6th grade daughter as an anniversary gift.  Yes, cringe. Again I ask myself "What was I thinking?!" It's the thought that counts. :)

Another such memory is less embarrassing and simply shocking to the mind of a ten year old. My sister had a "male" cat named Oreo. Now, we have always loved our animals dearly but they are just that: animals. I will never forget the day I walked outside and was stunted by what I saw; I ran back in a panic. "Mom, Oreo is nursing some cat's kittens!!!" I was smart you see; I knew that boy cats don't have kittens so certainly Oreo kidnapped these poor babies. But no, the shock was not over; I soon learned that Oreo was in fact a mother. Boy cats do not nurse; he was a girl!

Matthew 7:16: You shall know them by their fruits.

All this time we had been fooled into thinking Oreo was a boy; however, when it was all said and done her true self was revealed. Having kittens did not make Oreo a girl. Just the opposite is true. Because she was a girl, she was able to have kittens. The same can be said of Christians. Yearning for God's Word and growth, loving and serving others, being faithful to God and His commandments do not make us Christians. However, as Christians this is how we will act. Just like the kittens made us realize Oreo's true self, a person's desires and priorities can give us a hint to his/her true identity. How can a true believer not want to make time with the Lord part of their daily walk? How can a Christian feel no remorse for sin, apathy, or unfaithfulness? We are still humans; we will mess up daily! But someone who has a relationship with the Lord feels that tug and discomfort that comes from knowing their actions/thoughts/words do not please God. 

Matthew 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your Name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?" Then I will tell the plainly, "I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!"


 What is your lifestyle? Yes, Christianity affects your entire life. Are you characterized as a person who is angry, mean, selfish? Are you preoccupied with sports, academics, or even your family? How are you raising your children? Do they put sports, friends, and fun over Bible study and their relationship with the Lord? Yes, even children can have a walk with God, and they do show fruit! Or do people see something different in you? 


Galatians 5:22-23: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

A Life to Be Emulated

At one point in my childhood years my dad was a college pastor. And let me tell you, I was the luckiest little kid on the planet: nonstop attention from cool college kids! One in particular was a girl who would take us on excursions around Athens; she earned the right to have my childhood dog named after her. And when she asked me to be her flower girl, I was on cloud nine! Since then, we have been able to keep in touch through all the moves and life changes. Now I have enjoyed getting to know her three fun-loving girls while still being fortunate enough to have her as an example of a Godly wife and mother.

And that is what the Christian walk should look like: encouraging one another. Titus 2 explains it well:

^"3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. ⁴Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, ⁵to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God."

That whole "train younger women" doesn't have to be a literal class or "how-to" discussion (and rarely is!). It is about providing a physical example of the Proverbs 31 woman; a lifestyle that younger women can safely emulate and know they are becoming more like Christ. And honestly, you never know who you may impacting. That middle school girl who seems to want nothing to do with you may actually be watching you like a hawk. There have been countless times that I have found myself thinking, "How would Wendy/Mom/Karen.... respond in this situation?" Or maybe the more frequent convictions after the fact: "She would never have responded like that." And each woman as someone looking up to her. The middle school girl has her little sister following her foot steps; the college girl has high schoolers watching her every move. Who is watching you??

Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, "Follow me as I follow Christ." Can you say that about your life?

Life is good?

My aunt has always been a huge proponent of personality types, and thus I have become a huge fan. It fascinates me how one little test can explain so much about a person. I can't tell you how many "ah ha!" moments I have had at her house while discussing this topic. "So that is why she does that!" More recently this cure-all test has been applied to my husband and I. Admittedly, I am into this a good bit more than my husband; however, as the days go by living with his melancholy-choleric I can see he is slowly buying into the idea. I keep life exciting for my sanguine-phlegmatic! Yes it's true, we are complete opposites. Though as a good choleric, I would argue he has a hint of choleric in him as well. Back to my point....

Being a "scholar of the types" I would call my new home town phlegmatic-phlegmatic. Life is very laid back, slow, and fun. Oh to be a phlegmatic! I envy their "easygoing-ness". Contrary to my title, life for a melancholy is not always good. Wikipedia defines melancholy as "the mental type, live by-the-book." An example of this is my car accident in high school. At a stop sign, I stopped at the white line. Going past the line would be breaking the rules, so heaven forbid I pull up past the bush on my left to see if a car is coming.  Sure enough, just behind the bush was a Yukon. Suddenly, that rule about stopping at the white line didn't seem so important.

A list of melancholy character traits includes "sensitive, unsociable, moody, perfectionist, melancholy." The last part of that definition is the part that's  real bummer....literally! We melancholies tend to feel things very deeply. So, life can be a bit of a roller coaster. Needless to say, these past few months have been full of change and uncertainty. Sometimes life does not feel so good.

I've heard more often than once lately "Just trust God! He is in control." But do my feelings of depression really mean I am not trusting God? I struggled with this thought for a while. I am trying the best I know how to trust God; in my head I know He has a perfect plan and I honestly am excited about it; I am faithful to spend time with Him. So why do I still have feelings of discouragement? Why am I not always "high on life" like my wonderful sanguine-phlegmatic? Because that is not how God made me. Through my studies, I have been reminded of the many accounts that God simply asks for pure honesty. The Kaph section of Psalm 119 (verses 81-88) is the Psalmist begging for comfort; Job poured out his heart and his negative emotions to God; Ecclesiastes is full of Solomon's despair.

God will bring us through rough times. He does not ask us to feel good about it; He simply asks us to rely on Him for strength. When we don't understand or when we think life is spinning in a downward cycle, we can find peace in His Word. Our true trust is found in where we turn when the darkness seems overwhelming. Jesus Himself asked for relief before His crucifixion. "But not My will, but Thine be done."

Let me backtrack a moment to look on the positive side (a big step for this personality type, I know!). I said earlier that God has given each person their personalities for a reason. You are probably convinced that mine is just awful. There are positives and negatives to each type! Because of our deep ability to feel things, we are able to relate to people on a deep level. You can usually tell what we are thinking, if not by what we say, by the look on our faces, so we can't help but be open. We are very loyal and will do what it takes to get a job done. So for all my fellow melancholies out there, look on the bright side! God is using us in unique ways. Look to your true source of peace, and when those dark days come buckle down and focus on the Truth.

Psalm 119:103- "How sweet are Your Words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!"