Be Fruit, Not Rot

“Be on your guard against false prophets who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravaging wolves. You’ll recognize them by their fruit. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree produces good fruit, but a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit; neither can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.So you’ll recognize them by their fruit.” (Matt. 7:15-20 CSB)

Back in the summer of 2020, when the world was in full pandemic panic mode and after the murder of George Floyd, I would often text with a friend who I knew was a safe person to lament my fears and worries with about the future of society. We both watched in horror as the evil of racism and bigotry slunk out of the shadows and paraded itself proudly for everyone to see. We asked each other how our wonderful country had sunk so low and then were equally ashamed of ourselves when we discovered how protected and blind we had been. This evil was nothing new. It had been thriving and poisoning the hearts of God’s children for generations. But we had been protected from the hardship, pain, and horror it inflicts because we never had to worry about it affecting us. Married, white, Christian women with financial security are nearly immune from the evil of racism.

We asked ourselves what we could do, if we were part of the problem, and if anything we said or did really made a difference in the big picture. We did what every other white woman seemed to be doing at the time; we started a social justice book club at our church. It felt cliche but at the very least we decided that if we knew better we could do better and we admitted that we had a lot to learn.

Over the past year and a half, we have read some great books by authors of color. Our little group has been open to hearing difficult truths and learning things about ourselves that have, at times, stung but been essential lessons. We realized that we should never stop growing and learning.

As a child, I was taught a song about the fruit of the Spirit. That little tune always runs through my head when I think about the verse in Galatians about the fruit of the Spirit: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The law is not against such things.” (Gal. 5:22-23 CSB)

As I think back over the social justice books we have read I keep returning to the theme of good fruit. It turns out the lessons I was taught as a child still hold firm as an adult. Especially when it comes to rejecting long-held ideas, beliefs, and stereotypes that hold a person or group of people down and keep the status quo of the privilege of those in power in place. Over these long months and many books I’ve taken a hard look at people with a megaphone, people in power claiming persecution, and people with a status to uphold. I’ve become leery of leaders who bristle and scoff at the idea of equity and equality, be they Christian or otherwise.

I keep coming back to fruit.

I listen to their words and then watch how their followers react. Is the reaction of the masses good fruit or rotten? Do their words and actions elicit change towards good for the entire group or is the message one of mine versus theirs? Do they use their influence to encourage loving and understanding those who are outside of their comfort zone? Or do they bear false witness and use fear as a weapon to trick people into believing that their neighbors are the enemy?

Jesus asked us to be on guard against those who would try to pit us against each other. He wants us to observe what comes from the seeds they plant in the hearts of their followers. He instructs us to hold them accountable when we see bad fruit.

We should do the same in our own lives. Think about the public figures you follow, the books or blogs you read, where you get your news, the leaders you look up to. After a steady diet of information are you left feeling love or hate, joy or anger, peace or division, patience or anxiety, kindness or bitterness, goodness or arrogance, gentleness or fury, faithfulness or contempt, self-control or reckless selfishness?

To be sure, difficult topics elicit difficult emotions. Staying true to the Spirit and good is fruit is a really tall order and nobody’s perfect. We’re not going to get it right all of the time but each time we succumb to the temptation of self-righteous anger or might-makes-right we can always come back to what Christ taught us. Love God, love neighbor.

Albert Tate, author of How We Love Matters does a great job of making the hard work of social justice and reconciliation accessible. When it comes to the fruit of the Spirit he suggests we keep working until it comes second nature instead of having to force it:

“When we talk about showing up without brothers and sisters, specifically in the conversation concerning race, the dynamics of privilege Black Lives Matter, Asian Lives Matters, Critical Race Theory, systemic racism, and institutional injustice, what would it mean for us to sit down and have these conversations from a place of love and understanding? What would it mean if we could bring the fruit of love and compassion to the table rather than fight and division? How might we be transformed?”

The topics of social injustice and systemic racism are difficult topics and can make us uncomfortable. But Jesus never said his way would be easy but he did promise to help carry the burden. As we take the fruits of the Spirit to heart we can learn to distinguish between good and rotten fruit. When we know better, we do better.

Stephanie Clinton is a writer and blogger but more importantly, a wife and mother to two little boys. In her free time (if there is any) she can be found wiping snotty noses and volunteering in her community and school. Learn more about Stephanie along with her passion to encourage women and lighten their load at www.hugskissesandsnot.com.