Marriage Fruit: Fruit Salad

While we reviewed the Marriage Fruit series, a thought struck me. The different parts of the fruit must all be present in us to ensure that the entire fruit is properly displayed and manifested. I immediately got an image of a giant fruit salad, with all the different types of fruit mixed in, each flavor complimenting the other fruits. As I saw this in my mind I was struck by a thought. What makes the perfect fruit salad? For some people it is an abundance of strawberries, for others, there must be a strong citrus component. Some people are happy to leave bananas in a strictly minority role, while others believe that without apples, the entire salad is worthless. In fact, it is extremely difficult to get a group of people to agree about what makes a good fruit salad.

As I explored this idea, my mind wandered back to the Marriage Fruit. What parts of the Fruit need to be shown in what proportions for it to be effective? Immediately I saw the correlation. The correct mixture of Marriage Fruit distribution is directly related to the marriage in question. In some marriages, the wife may need to display a little more self-control than humility, while the husband is tasked with making sure patience and peace are always at the forefront. Some marriages will require the husband to be the one supplying extra kindness while the wife provides a heaping helping of faithfulness. This doesn’t mean that the other parts of the fruit are absent, it merely means that the recipe for that marriage requires more of one or two fruits than the others.

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Continuing this train of thought, my mind ran to some of the couples I have encountered who have been married for long periods of time. In each couple, I could see the exhibition of my little idea. Every one of those couples displayed all of the fruit in differing measures to each other. CONSTANTLY. And no two couples looked the same. Some of the mixtures that would work for one couple would be detrimental to another. I realized that over time, each couple had worked out their perfect menu for their Marriage Fruit. They did not care if the mixture seemed strange to anyone else, as long as it worked for them. They continued to display their Fruit, in perfect harmony, as they remained happily married.

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I remember some of the stories they told me and noticed that their marriages had not always been smooth sailing. Every couple had at least one incident where their marriage seemed to be jeopardized. This did not change their determination to display the Fruit of the Spirit in their marriage. When life events occurred that could have become catastrophic, they made slight changes to their menu and continued on. In some, it may have meant adding more joy, for others, it may have been more a matter of replacing some of one fruit with another. But in each case, they continued to focus on constantly showing the Fruit to each other.

Now that you have read and studied the Fruit of the Spirit with a different perspective, we hope we have given you a great example of how to display the Fruit of the Spirit in your marriage. We encourage you to work with your spouse to find your recipe for the perfect Fruit Salad and implement it. Don’t be afraid to change your menu as events in life dictate, but always strive to ensure that your menu works for your marriage.

Heading to deeper waters,
Fish