Speak for Themselves

Henri Nouwen Society post:  The Fruit of the Spirit


How does the Spirit of God manifest itself through us?  Often we think that to witness means to speak up in defense of God.  This idea can make us very self-conscious.  We wonder where and how we can make God the topic of our conversations and how to convince our families, friends, neighbors, and colleagues of God's presence in their lives.  But this explicit missionary endeavour often comes from an insecure heart and, therefore, easily creates divisions.  

The way God's Spirit manifests itself most convincingly is through its fruits:  "love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22).  These fruits speak for themselves.  It is therefore always better to raise the question "How can I grow in the Spirit?"  than the question  "How can I make othersbelieve in the Spirit?"