Fruit of the Spirit

by Michele Boy | October 2, 2025

October is here! The cool mornings are lovely! Looking forward to cooler afternoons too! Thought I would share some quick updates. My respiratory junk is not wanting to exit this human. Got another round of antibiotics and more breathing treatments. Thankfully I am improving. 
It’s amazing all the things that pile up when you are under the weather. My large list of to do’s is larger now. 
The stray dog we took in got a clean bill of health. He is sweet as can be, loves attention, and happy! 
Also, I was excited to learn that my book publisher was heading to a major book conference in Frankfurt, Germany with their entire collection. My book is going to Europe! I can’t, but hey that is cool. 
After my daughter’s volleyball game this afternoon (Thursday), we are heading to the barn, shearing a couple of lambs, and packing up to go to the Kansas Junior Livestock Show. We leave early, EARLY Friday morning. 
In between school, volleyball practices, church youth group, I can’t believe she has had the energy to work her lambs. 
The young have so much energy!! 
With wheat planting and other farm tasks, my husband is not going with us. So I am on my own to drive to Hutchinson, possibly backup the trailer, park in the right location, and unhook. Eek! I would take a few prayers. 
On the newspaper front, I had to upgrade my Mac computer. When I went to install updates, it informed me I couldn’t. It said you have to update your computer. I said out loud to my computer - way wrong answer. Lol. 
I spent the next few days deliberating the purchase. I was frustrated that a perfectly good computer wasn’t okay now. That my hand was being forced. 
But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there were things wrong. The card reader had stopped working a year before. There are no usb-c ports, and a few other pieces. It was time. 
Have you had moments like that? Holding on to  something that clearly it was time to let go of? If my husband reads this, perhaps he will be okay letting go of some things cluttering our home lol. 
Seriously though, we don’t generally like change. Habits can keep us stuck. We are so used to a certain way, we cannot embrace the new, the different, and possibly better. 
Don’t get me wrong, that older model refrigerator absolutely lasted longer than some of these new ones. Furniture built back in the day was solid with great craftsmanship, care, and time. 
By no means am I advocating for removing of things because they are old. In fact, I would like to see us return to physical textbooks in the classrooms. I feel reading from a physical book helps with comprehension, patience, and overall mental health. Does that mean I am against technology, cellphones and computers? Not at all.  Just that everything has a place. 
And while there is a place for both old and new, sometimes we need to let go of things that aren’t working in our lives anymore. I saw a cartoon once that had a little girl holding a small teddy bear. Jesus was holding a larger teddy bear behind his back. The caption was Do you trust me? 
Sometimes maybe we are called to let go or release something without knowing what may come.  
In the book God and a Harley, a woman was asked to release a lot of her possessions she didn’t really need. What followed was a release of grudges she carried. 
Does that spark something in you?
I think it’s worth looking at. Lately I have noticed a few deep grudges I am holding onto. When I prayed asking God why these old wounds are coming up, I wanted immediate answers, and relief. 
Seeing all the things that need done and putting pressure on myself, demanding things I am not able to do right now is the opposite of the fruits of the Spirit.
I think of Galatians 5:22-23  - But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 
Gentleness. I don’t offer myself that much. Sometimes I don’t offer that to others either. Are we offering these fruits to ourselves? To others?
Forbearance - patient self-restraint, withholding judgment or punishment, and enduring wrongs with kindness.
I don’t know about you but I still have a long way to go. For today, I will work on being more gentle with myself. 
Imagine a world with more love, joy, peace, kindness, faithfulnees, gentleness. Yes, I am skipping self-control lol. For now.