The Seed of the Spirit – Part I
Scripture — Galatians 5:22-23a (NRSV)
By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Focus
Before the fruit comes the seed. It is not a fully formed fruit. The fruit begins as a seed that you must water and wait. The seed has the entire DNA of what the tree or plant will provide. The seeds need the right ecosystem of good soil, adequate water, and sunlight. Some need to be planted during certain seasons. Some seeds can lay dormant for years if they are not cultivated under the right circumstances. All begin small.
Devotion
We had a mighty mango tree in our backyard growing up in Nicaragua. I would climb a ladder on the side wall, walk across the roof, and try to reach the juicy red mangoes. Do not tell my father. I was not supposed to be up there! The harvest of this mango tree was so abundant that my dad allowed me to sell them because we could not eat them fast enough. Get this: I would sell 25 mangoes for a dollar!
I do not know who planted that tree. My mother would fertilize it. My dad would water it on the weekends. I liked to climb it and eat until the juice ran down my arms! I hear that it is still bearing fruit. Much fruit. Abundant fruit. One thing is for sure, and that is that the tree did not bear fruit overnight. Before there ever was a fruit, there was a seed and many years of waiting and watering.
So it is with the fruit of the Spirit.
Before the fruit comes the seed. It is not a fully formed fruit. The fruit begins as a seed that you must water and wait. The seed has the entire DNA of what the tree or plant will provide. The seeds need the right ecosystem of good soil, adequate water, and sunlight. Some need to be planted during certain seasons. Some seeds can lay dormant for years if they are not cultivated under the right circumstances. All begin small.
Do not underestimate the strength of smallness. This world does not reward smallness nor slowness.
The mystery is that the beautiful Holy Spirit animates the seed and provides the slow growth. So it is with you and with the work of the Spirit in us, individually and collectively. Our church has been growing in our understanding of land environmental justice by rewilding our gardens and planting native seeds like California poppies. One thing I have learned the hard way is that I am not in charge of which seeds germinate. God is.
So it is with the fruit of the Spirit. Do not underestimate the power of the seeds.
Reflect
Have you ever considered the fruit of the Spirit and how it begins as a seed?
Act
Which of the fruits of the Spirit is easiest for you to embody? Which is the hardest? How might you water the seeds?
Pray
God of the seeds, you provide the life of the Spirit in a small seed that has the potential to grow into abundant fruit. Many have planted the seeds of the Spirit in our lives. Invite us to be attentive to the gentle movements of the seeds in our soil. Invite us to water those seeds frequently and mindfully. Help us to cooperate and co-create with your Spirit and by your Spirit, the abundant fruit of the Vineyard. Amén.
Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Life in the Spirit (Galatians 5:13–23).
Inés Velásquez-McBryde
Chaplain at Fuller Theological Seminary & Pastor, Preacher, Speaker
Inés Velásquez-McBryde is a pastor, preacher, reconciler and mujerista theologian. She is the lead pastor and co-founder of The Church We Hope For. She is originally from Nicaragua, a third generation pastor, and the first pastora in her family. Inés earned her MDiv at Fuller Theolo...