In Season and Out

Palisade peaches.
Rocky Ford cantaloupe.
Olathe sweet corn.

Summertime! For four to six weeks each year, something special happens at our local grocery store: Colorado peaches, melons, and corn.

By late July, the anticipation crescendos—and suddenly, the reality is here. Stacked on display. For sale. Ready to savor.

I grew up eating all three of these summertime treasures, but there’s something extraordinary about the ones grown in Colorado’s mountain valleys.

So we wait—until we don’t have to anymore. And like this morning, when a bite of peach hit my palate, I’m reminded: this is how a peach was meant to taste. Maybe even in Eden.

Fruit.
The byproduct of so many unseen but vital ingredients.
Climate. Soil. Cultivation. Care.
All of it contributes to a bite worth waiting for.

The Apostle Paul understood something about fruit. In fact, something not unlike what Colorado farmers know. When I look at Paul’s list of fruit—produced by the Holy Spirit—I’m struck by how beautiful and powerful and telling the catalog of character fruit is:

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” (Galatians 5:22, NLT)

As I read this, I’m encouraged by the richness and depth of what God can cultivate in me. But I also see rare fruit—fruit I can’t help but believe that “shoppers for hope and purpose and meaning” are still searching for.

Kindness.
Gentleness.
Goodness.
Self-control.

Yes, love, joy, peace, patience, and faithfulness are essential—but maybe they get more attention and acclaim, while these four often go unnoticed or undervalued or misunderstood.

Take kindness, for instance. How would this sound?

“Vote for Dan Wolgemuth—he’s the kind candidate!”

Or imagine a heated debate over an important issue. What if the person on the other side said:

“I don’t share Dan’s beliefs, but I have to admit—he was gentle in how he made his case.”

Too often, kindness, gentleness, goodness, and self-control are mistaken for weakness—a soft spine or a fading resolve.

But the truth?

Kind people are brave.
Good people are courageous.
Gentle people are confident.
Self-control is a sign of grit.

The world is waiting.
Harvest time is here.
And the fruit will tell the story—one way or another.

It’s time for Christians to become what God designed us to be:

Fruitful.

Love. Joy. Peace. Patience.
Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness.
Gentleness. Self-control.
All of them. All the time. In season and out.