The year of the fruit

Does anyone even read this blog anymore? I can't believe it's been a year since I posted anything. Well, hopefully that's going to change.
As 2009 was drawing to a close, I spent some time contemplating what I'd like 2010 to be about. After some careful consideration, I believe God led me to two very simple answers: relationships and fruit.


Relationships
In a world where friends and family are often too busy to be friends and family, where 24/7 access to everything encourages us to stay more plugged into invisible airwaves than to each other - I want my life to be different. I want the pace of my life to be different. I don't want to just *say* that relationships are the most important things in my life, I want to *show* it. Granted, that will be tricky given the fact that I have a full-time job and am also a full-time student, but I'll figure it out.

Fruit
Or, more specifically, fruits of the Spirit. For the next 365 days (well... 364 now....) I'm going to study the fruits of the Spirit. My study, however, will not be on Galatians 5:22, but on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, the "love is..." passage.
My hope is that God will begin to form me into the kind of person described in that passage.
I hope also to share the things God chooses to reveal to me.

I'm going to cheat a little bit and share something He revealed to me a few months ago. It's simple, but profound. Did you ever notice, or wonder why, this passage starts with the phrase "love is...?" It doesn't say that love *acts* patiently or kindly. It doesn't say that love thinks patient and kind thoughts. It says that love *is* patient, kind, etc. Being a kind and patient person is significantly different than simply behaving in a kind or patient way. Most of us can muster up some kindness and patience on our own... until confronted with a truly challenging situation or person. To truly become patient, kind, humble and forgiving requires nothing short of a miracle.

As I study this passage for the coming year, my continual prayer will be (and is now) for God to make me into a genuinely loving person.

OK... here we go!