Love, Joy, Life--The Fruit of the fruits

Bill Brown ... Xiamen University
"But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things." Galatians 5:22

"I have come that they may have life, and have it more abundantly." John 10:10

"So I give my life for my sheep." John 10:15

When I agreed to give a short Christmas message for the Xiamen Christian Businessmen's Fellowship, they did not tell me they'd already picked out the topic: "Love, Joy, Life!" Usually we say "love, joy, peace," but the more I thought about it, the more I appreciated the twist, because while love and joy are some fruits of the spirit, the spiritual fruits in turn bear the precious gift of life—as I've seen in my own experience.

1. Love--a Rare Commodity. The word "love" has been watered down. I "love" Chinese food, I "love" to travel, I "love" my car. It was "love" at first sight when I met my wife Sue (true, actually!). But as a child I learned that perfect love is a rare commodity.

After my mother divorced she married another man who had also been divorced. Divorce is a hard habit to break, so when my new father argued with my mom, the word “divorce” was often fired back and forth. One day, I came home from school to find mom and dad waiting on the porch. "I'm leaving," mom said. "Decide who you want to be with—who you love most. You have one hour.”

That was a tough question for a seven-year-old. I could not choose between them. I loved my step-father, who for all his problems was a very good man, but I also loved my mom. So I stuffed some clothes in a pillow case, stole out the back door, and ran away from home. They found me a few hours later and brought me home. Though they continued to fight over the next 40+ years, I never heard them use the dreaded word divorce again, but the seeds of fear and insecurity were already deeply rooted. “Will I have a home tomorrow?” Or worse, “Am I really the cause of their fights?” (As they sometimes said).

Hermit For the rest of my childhood my family called me “hermit” because I spent most of my time alone in my room, reading, or out in the woods. The less contact, the less I could hurt others or be hurt--but how I longed to be loved (regretfully, I withdrew from my sister as well, who suffered as much or more than me; I'm thankful we're now best friends!).

Fortunately, I did find love--in a book. Our family had an old Bible, which no one read, but I read it cover to cover. My family did not go to church but that was good in some ways, because I learned to see the Bible not as a religious book but as a collection of vivid stories that gripped my heart and imagination. I was especially moved by the life of Jesus, who said that God was love, and that He wanted only two things of us: 1) to love our God, and 2) to love others as ourselves. Is this possible? I wondered. Can it be so easy?

Love in Action Jesus gave many examples that touched my heart: the prodigal son, whom the father loved in spite of squandering his inheritance. The good Samaritan, who stopped to help a Jew—even though Jews despised Samaritans. And in Mark 9:33-37), when the disciples argued about who would be greatest, Jesus did not rebuke them. He gently explained that whoever would be greatest must be the servant of all, and he took a child in his arms and said, “Whoever welcomes a child in my name welcomes me, and my Father.” How I wished I could be that child in Jesus’ arms—but I still had questions.

I read books on other religions, just to be sure, but I kept coming back to Jesus’ life and his simple message, and when I was eight I decided to be a Christian. I had no idea how to go about it so I just prayed a simple prayer, but it worked. I felt my heavenly Father’s acceptance and love, and though I’ve wandered from Him at times, He has never left me, regardless of my failures.

Not Who but Whose. Fortunately, God loves me not because of who I am, or what I do or don't do, but because I am His, and His acceptance of me has helped me accept and appreciate others-especially my parents. The older I grew, the more I appreciated that my parents did love me, but they too had been hurt in their youth, and it is hard to break the generational cycle of pain and fear, as I saw when I became a father myself. I would give my life for my sons, and yet I also get angry over trivial matters and say hurtful things that can be forgiven but never unsaid. Who am I to judge my parents! I can only love them, learn from them, and hope that, someday, this cycle will be broken.

Fortunately, my sons also know the unconditional love of their Heavenly Father, and that love has helped them to accept, and love, their very earthly father—and to have the security that is the only source of true joy.

2. Joy—not emotion but knowing. Happiness can be a good movie, a walk in the park, or a Thanksgiving meal with family, but these are like sugar-highs: short lasting, and they leave you craving more. But lasting joy is born not of emotion but of knowledge—the knowledge that my Father loves me not because of who I am but because I am His child, and that He is with me forever, regardless of circumstances. And this deep-seated sense of security and joy leads to life.

3. Life—here and now. Christ promised eternal life but he also promised abundant life, here and now—a life of more meaning and purpose. And as even scientists have found, this can lead to a longer and healthier life.

"The Will to Live" vs. "Self-Willed Death" Scientists studying the new discipline of “psychoneuroimmunology” have seen that cancer patients who simply give up succumb to what doctors call “self-willed death.” But patients with the “will to live” often recover faster, as I learned in 1999 when I spent two months in a Hong Kong hospital during surgeries for cancer.

After two months of numerous complications, I was depressed, and it didn’t help when American visitors asked if I planned to return “home” if I got out of the hospital. By home, they meant the U.S., but I wanted to go home to Xiamen, though I could not see how anyone in my condition would be of much use there. But then the governor of Fujian Province sent a couple of men with best wishes and flowers, and shortly after Mayor Hong Yongshi of Xiamen sent two men with flowers and a letter saying, "We hope you get well and come home soon." For Mayor Hong, “home” meant Xiamen, and from that moment my spirits took a turn for the better. I recovered, returned to China--and my past 8 years here have been much more meaningful and fruitful than the first twelve.

An Alternative to Self-willed Death Cancer patients are not the only ones who succumb to self-willed deaths; 100% of us will do the same unless we embrace our Father's energizing love and joy. But if we choose love and joy, then the fruit of life, which was denied Adam and Eve, is ours for the taking.

Love, joy, life. It's our decision.
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