Daily Guideposts - 20 Day SampleSample

A Pot of Soup

During Lent, several local congregations join together for simple suppers—bread, salad, soup—followed by theological lectures.

When our turn came round, our church set out a good spread. I made a potful of my old standby, vegetable beef. At the end of the evening, diners inquired about recipes. At the end of the week, I received a formal e-mail from Coordinator Lisa: First the compliment: “The soups we offered this year were a big hit.” Then the request: “Would you be willing to submit your soup recipes for publication in the church newsletter?” Lisa obviously wanted precise measurements and replicable results.

Oh dear, what should I say? I’d watched my mother make soup, and then I’d tried to improve the flavor. I sent a reply. First the appreciation: “Lisa, thank you for organizing the evening.” Then the response: “NSR— No Such Recipe. It’s a splash of this, a bunch of that . . . ”

I could list ingredients that always land in the pot and contribute to the dish. But the amounts and even the proportions vary from batch to batch, depending on how much supply I have on hand, how many people need nourishment. It often depends on how the spirit moves as I assess and stir the pot.

When I consider the biblical list of the fruit of the Spirit, I sometimes wish Scripture had given a specific, replicable formula: How much love? How much self-control? What’s the proper proportion of peace to joy? But I’m learning that it’s a case of NSR. How much of one or another depends on my spiritual readiness, the current need and how the Spirit moves.

Holy Spirit, creatively work through me to produce a medley of spiritual fruit.

—Evelyn Bence
Digging Deeper: Zech. 4:6; John 15:1–3; Rom. 7:4