But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22
I have one of those balls you squeeze to relieve stress. It was a gift— one I’m sure I needed. The ball is the size and color of a peach which, since I live in Georgia, is perfect. Except for the time a family member mistook a sweet, juicy peach I was about to eat for my stress-relief ball and squeezed it.
Sometimes it’s hard to tell what’s real.
When I was a kid, fake fruit was a popular table decoration. The only way to determine whether or not it was genuine was to give it a squeeze. I had a friend who learned that lesson the hard way when she swallowed a plastic grape.
People are a lot like that. It’s only when circumstances squeeze our lives that it becomes apparent whether or not the fruit of the Spirit is real in us. We may be able to fake it when things are going well. But when stressful situations press in, if we’re not trusting God, it will be obvious.
We don’t have to look far to see this played out. We live in super-squeeze-y times. I’m tempted to believe things are worse now than they’ve ever been— until I remember that out of the first four people God created, one had the very life squeezed out of him. By his brother.
That same man, Abel, is memorialized in Hebrews 11. This chapter, often called the Hall of Faith, lists men and women who trusted God, even when life squeezed them hard. We’re told they gained a good reputation. As they were stoned, sawn in two, and otherwise pulverized, it seems someone was watching and taking note of their fruit.
God works when we’re squeezed. A faithful person pressed by difficult circumstances can infuse the lives of others with the flavor of Christ. A lot like my peach. I put it in a bottle and it infused my water. It couldn’t have done that if it hadn’t been squished.
Jesus said to expect trouble in this world, so I think being squeezed is the plan for us until he comes again.
But we shouldn’t lose heart because Hebrews 11 ends with a promise— one day all God’s people will be made perfect. Forget stress-relief balls, let’s just meditate on that truth. It will produce the fruit of the Spirit in us. And it’s sweeter than a Georgia peach.