By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and
self-control. There is no law against such things. And those who belong to
Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live
by the Spirit, let us also be guided by the Spirit.
- Galatians 5:22-25
Once
upon a time, Andrew would let us know he was awake with a cry from his crib.
Eventually, when he moved into his big boy bed, that was replaced by the sight
of him groggily walking out of his room. But ever since we set a strict limit
on when he can get up—no earlier than 7:00—there’s been a new way he lets us
know he’s awake. He shouts.
“Daddy!”
“Daddy!”
“DADDY!!!”
On
my best days, I walk calmly into his room and greet him. But if I’m trying to
finish what I’m doing, or I’m on the other side of the house, or I just want
his volume button turned down a little bit, sometimes I’ll shout right back: “ANDREW,
STOP YELLING! I’LL BE THERE IN A MINUTE!!!” I’ll let you guess which is a
better way to start the morning together.
As
best I can tell, this is the week the shouting started in this season of
pandemic. Protesters took to the streets decrying “tyranny” and demanding an
immediate return to normalcy. Social media, filled with hopefulness and humor
these last few weeks, returned to its pre-COVID-19 status quo with a flurry of
memes, shared articles, and misinformation designed to make you angry. Even in
my phone conversations with church members, I could hear a growing frustration
where I’d once heard notes of perseverance.
It
is a difficult time for everyone—a time of worry, confusion, and loneliness.
Some are worried about their finances, others about their kids’ educations, and
all about getting sick. It’s tough to know what you’re supposed to say and do
right now, what the right reaction is to this strange limbo we’re all living
in.
Especially
as tempers start to flare and social bonds start to fray, this is a good time
to remember that the Bible points us toward a response that looks so different
from the world’s that it can only be described as Spirit-led. When you are
guided by the Spirit, you opt for peace when your flesh pulls you toward
bitterness. When you are guided by the Spirit, you are moved to show generosity
when your flesh is consumed by selfishness. When you are guided by the Spirit,
you love when your flesh would rather lash out.
The
world is full of people trying to get your attention, and just like a toddler,
sometimes they’ll do it by shouting. Whether you shout back is up to you.
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