Growing Fruit: LOVE

Growing Fruit: Love
A few weeks ago, my husband Ken and I celebrated another wedding anniversary.
Like most married couples, we've accumulated a lot of memories over the years. Some are romantic. Some are hilarious. Some involve one of us being absolutely convinced we were right and later discovering we were not.
That's the beauty of marriage.
It's a front-row seat to watching two imperfect people learn how to love each other better.
When I was younger, I thought love was mostly a feeling. You know, butterflies, romance, long walks, and all the things Hallmark movies tell us should happen regularly.
Then real life happened.
Kids happened.
Schedules happened.
Bills happened.
Exhaustion happened.
And somewhere between soccer practices, church events, work deadlines, and trying to remember why I walked into a room in the first place, I learned something important:
Biblical love is much deeper than a feeling.
As we continue our Fruit of the Spirit series, we begin with the first fruit listed in Galatians 5:22-23:
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love..."
It's no accident that love comes first.
In fact, Jesus made it clear that love is at the center of everything.
When asked what the greatest commandment was, Jesus answered, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." Then He added a second command: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39).
According to Jesus, everything else flows from these two things.
Love God.
Love people.
Simple to understand.
Not always simple to do.
Especially when people are being...people.
The Apostle Paul gives us one of the clearest pictures of love in 1 Corinthians 13. He tells us that love is patient, kind, not self-seeking, not easily angered, and keeps no record of wrongs.
If I'm being honest, that's where I start feeling convicted.
Patient?
Usually.
Unless I'm running late.
Kind?
Most of the time.
Unless someone takes the last parking spot.
Keeps no record of wrongs?
Let's just say my brain has a surprisingly detailed filing system.
The truth is that the kind of love Paul describes doesn't come naturally to us. It isn't something we can manufacture through willpower alone.
That's why it's called the Fruit of the Spirit.
It's evidence of God's work in us.
The more time we spend connected to Christ, the more His love begins to shape our hearts.
And that love shows up in unexpected places.
It shows up when we extend grace instead of criticism.
When we forgive someone who doesn't deserve it.
When we choose patience with a struggling child.
When we check on a lonely neighbor.
When we offer encouragement instead of judgment.
When we serve even when nobody notices.
One of the greatest examples of love isn't found in grand gestures at all. It's found in the everyday choices we make.
The small sacrifices.
The extra mile.
The kind word.
The listening ear.
The prayer offered quietly for someone who may never know.
Jesus demonstrated this kind of love perfectly. He loved people when they were difficult. He loved people when they failed. He loved people when they doubted. He loved people when they abandoned Him.
And He loves us the same way.
Not because we've earned it.
Not because we've perfected it.
But because that's who He is.
As I've reflected on another year of marriage, I've realized that the strongest relationships aren't built on feelings alone. They're built on countless daily choices to love, serve, forgive, and show grace.
The same is true in our walk with Christ.
Love isn't just something we feel.
It's something we do.
And when we stay connected to Jesus, the Holy Spirit grows that love in us little by little, day by day.
Much like my houseplants, growth may not be obvious overnight.
But over time, the fruit becomes visible.
And that's a beautiful thing.
Until next time, may your coffee be strong, your patience be plentiful, and your love reflect the One who loved us first.