The Fruits of the Spirit in the Workplace

Yesterday, I rode in the car with Beau, my 9-year-old daughter. We were talking about the Fruits of the Spirit – she had some foundational questions about the Fruits that in answering those for her, I experienced a beautiful reminder of what they are and why they are important.

The Fruits of the Spirit  (Galatians 5:22-23) shared in the Bible are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are taught that when you invite the Holy Spirit into your heart, you become like a tree that bears fruit. The fruit you bear by having the Holy Spirit in your heart are these gifts of love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When a tree bears fruit, and it is ripe, it is dropped from the tree to the ground. My question to her was, “does the tree eat that fruit it produced? Does the tree use that fruit in any way?” No – it’s doesn’t. The fruit is actually for all of the animals around that tree to consume and be life-giving to them. That is the point: you need to live a spirit-filled life. You need to live a life as Christ did and do the best you can to do good on this Earth. When you live that life, you will produce beautiful fruit. And those fruits – that joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control – are for all those around you to benefit from. And what a wonderful life it is for you to be able to provide those to all those people around you. It will make them feel better; it will make them perform better; it will make them treat others better. It is an amazing thing.

 I got to thinking – why would it have to be any different in the workplace? As a leader, why do you have to display anything different than joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control toward your team and customers? Those are the traits that make people feel safe and happy. When people feel that way when they come to work, they will work harder for you than they’ve ever worked for anyone in their life. And they will do it happily; they will be more productive and creative; they will be able to withstand adversity better. You will benefit so much from it. And all you have to do is be good yourself. Have that spirit inside you that fuels the goodness of your person.

I admit – it’s hard work to focus on these and strive to display them every day. I am not saying it’s easy. But even though it is hard work to be this type of person every day, remember that you have to strive to be that person not only for yourself, but for all those around you. When you do that for others, it comes back to you in kind.