My rejoicing event occurred today when the driver of the natural gas company stopped at my home to collect a street barricade. Monday and Tuesday they put a natural gas line into my house. As he was putting the barricade on a rack on the front of his truck he had to remove a large weather-worn stuffed bear. I asked if the bear had a name. “No,” he said. Three years ago while putting in a gas line a five-year-old little girl handed him what was then a beautiful bear and asked if he would take care of it for her until she got better. She was receiving chemo and was finding temporary homes for her stuffed animals. He didn’t know what happened to the little girl but ever since he has driven about with the bear on his radiator hoping she will see it and stop him to take it back home.
There are still really great people in the world. They don’t have to have titles in front of their names nor letters behind their names. Those things don’t really say anything about the character of the person. Character is revealed by our actions, our speech and our behavior toward others. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus said, “By their fruits ye shall know them.” While Jesus also told us not to judge others it is very difficult to ignore the fruit hanging from their branches.
In Galatians 5 Paul wrote, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” I have always loved that Paul points out there is no law against such things. We can grow as many of them as we desire.
Written by Roger Bothwell on July 19, 2012
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
Rogerbothwell.org