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Fruit of the Spirit: Love and Joy
Finding Hope Family Support Groups
Written By
Finding Hope Team
Love and Joy
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.” Galatians 5:22–26
Love
I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase “love the person, not the sin.” The same is true with our loved ones: love them, but not their addiction. Can you still show love to your loved one without enabling, setting boundaries, and detaching? Yes. It may not feel like love when you tell them “no,” don’t give them money, or kick them out for using, and they may even say as much and tell you you don’t love them anymore, but by doing this, you are showing them love. You love them so much that you’re getting out of their way and giving them the opportunity to seek help. I always tell people that you show true love by not enabling, setting a firm boundary, and detaching from the chaos.
Remember the prodigal son and his father? Did his father ever stop loving him? No. Did his son know who to run home to when he was ready for change and help? Yes. The father knew his love for his son wasn’t going to save him — the love from our Father would — and the dad needed to love his son enough to let him go.
Joy
We want it so badly, but we can’t seem to find it.
WHY?
I believe the answer is that we allow our trials in life to take hold of us and become our guide spiritually, emotionally, mentally, and physically. We are so focused on “fixing” the trials that we allow those very trials to direct our everyday life instead of trusting God to be our compass through those times.
James chapter 1 talks about how we will be met with various trials in life. We don’t get to pick our trials. We only get to decide how we will respond to our trials. We must put our trust in God. God is on the side of those who trust Him through life's most difficult moments, including your loved one’s addiction. Give it to God and trust Him to do what only He can do. Our faith only grows stronger when tested by trials.
