Sprout: 21 Days for the Fruit of the Spirit to Bloom in Your LifeSample

A Sweet Fragrance

By Dana Stone

And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord, and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done. —Colossians 2:6–7 TLB

I answered the phone at 7:30 that morning, knowing what my brother was about to say. It was time. I hurriedly packed a bag and began the five-hour car ride to join my brother and sister to be with Mom as she made the journey to her eternal home. We spent the next several hours telling her how thankful we were for the gift she had been to us. We shared memories of the incredibly strong yet compassionate woman and mother she had always been. We held her hand as she passed away peacefully that evening, tears of grief and gratitude intermingling as we said our goodbyes. As I drove back to the hotel that night, all I could think to say to the Lord was, “Really, God? That’s three hands now. What am I supposed to do with all this pain?”

Three hands. In the last eight years, I had held three hands as they made their way home to heaven—my dad, my uncle, and now my mom. Grief overwhelmed me, and I wasn’t sure I would be strong enough to make my way through it this time. I wondered if my heart would ever have room for joy again.

As we began to go through Mom’s things over the next few days, we found her trusted Bible, and inside was a card marking a page that had Colossians 2:6–7 underlined: “And now just as you trusted Christ to save you, trust him, too, for each day’s problems; live in vital union with him. Let your roots grow down into him and draw up nourishment from him. See that you go on growing in the Lord and become strong and vigorous in the truth you were taught. Let your lives overflow with joy and thanksgiving for all he has done” (TLB). As I soaked in the words written by the apostle Paul, it was as if my mom had left me a final gift—a reminder that no matter what trials may come in this life, we, as God’s children, are rooted in Christ and have been given the gift of the Holy Spirt. As we deepen those roots, the fruit of the Spirit naturally flows out of us. While reading those verses from Colossians, the grief encompassing my heart gradually began to give way to the sweetest presence of joy.

Joy is the quiet, inextinguishable confidence that no matter what we’re walking through, God is with us. Whether we’re having a mountaintop experience or walking through the lowest valleys of life, His Holy Spirit lifts our hearts and our heads as we learn to abide in His presence and soak in His Word. And as we do, joy has no choice but to burst forth out of the depths of our spirit like a well of refreshing water flowing up from the deepest crevices in the earth. It is that joy—that pure, life-giving water—that allows us to steady our gaze, plant our feet on God’s firm foundation, and “go out with joy, and be led forth with peace” (Isaiah 55:12 KJV). Joy will flow out of the wounded places in your heart and enable you to withstand the most difficult circumstances because you can rest in the truth that God is with you every step of the way.

Sitting in Mom’s room that day, I made a decision—I would choose to fix my heart on the Lord and remind myself that I wasn’t in this alone. Grief would need to run its course, but I knew God was right there with me, and joy would be there too.

Life can be overwhelming at times, and there are natural, normal emotions we will all face. None of us are exempt. But when we choose to allow God to guide us through those difficult seasons by abiding in His Word and drawing strength from Him, His joy will be the sweet fragrance that remains.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the gift of Your Holy Spirit. Help me deepen my understanding of Your Word so that the roots of my faith can be strengthened. I ask for the fruit of joy to be evident in my life, in the good times and in the difficult times. May Your joy flow through me, leaving the sweet aroma of Jesus wherever I go. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. Write down three prayers the Lord has answered. Thank Him for His provision, and meditate on the joy you experienced in those moments.
2. Take a few minutes to be still before the Lord as you read Colossians 2:6–7. Write down a current trial you are experiencing and ask the Holy Spirit for a fresh infilling of His joy. Pray for His power to be released in you so that you can remain in a posture of joy as you navigate that trial.