Galatians 5:22,23
It goes without saying that the infectious nature of the current variant of the COVID virus—Omicron— has everyone hypersensitive to the question: Are you infectious. Schools are shutting down again. ICU beds are full, again. New cases have reached nearly 808,000.
Infection is on the minds and spirits of people—from the office cleaner to the top office holder of the land. But, in fairness to the issue of INFECTION, there are other things and people that are equally infectious as COVID.
Take Riley Fogarty, for example. His winning smile and an infectious personality swept through Bismarck North Dakota High School. So much so that at a recent Friday night football half-time ceremony, Riley was crowned homecoming king, but the infection did not stop there. Right after Riley was crowned, his sister who was doubled-over with joy for her twin brother and “best bud”, to her surprise, she was announced as homegoing queen. When asked why she thought Riley was crowned king, she said, "I think Riley has taught everyone a lot about acceptance, and he's taught people how to see beyond differences."
Riley’s infectious nature is not new. What he has, the Galatian Church could have according to Paul—the Fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22-23 2 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
WWhen you live like Riley, in that Spirit, despite physical and mental differences, you affect people with a freedom to love despite differences. Here is a survey of the symptoms of the Fruit of the Spirit that does a body good:
1. Love does a body good. This love is no ordinary love. It’s an agape (avga,ph) love whose hallmark is sacrifice. You give up so others get what their body and spirit need.
2. Joy does a body good. This joy is possible even out of frustration. It was for the frustrated shepherd who left 99 secure sheep to finally recover one lost one. (Luke 15: 6). No one left behind is a reason for joy.
3. Peace does a body good. This Christ-given peace gives you a right relationship with God and man. Old walls are no more. (Eph 2:14).
4. Patience does a body good. This patience does a body good in every event, even a Job event, because no matter how bad it gets, if you wait on God, you will come out stronger. (Psalm 27:14)
5. Kindness does a body good. This kindness based on compassion leads to forgiveness no matter what the debt. A King who had compassion for a man paid his uncollectible debt. (Mat. 18:27)
6. Goodness does a body good. This goodness is a generosity to all like the goodness of the Lord. It’s God’s prerogative that all get blessed, not your preference who gets blessed. (Matt. 20:15)
7. Faithfulness does a body good. This faithfulness/loyalty is restorative. There is no sin bigger than God’s sanitizer to make you whole again. (1 Jn 1:9)
8. Gentleness does a body good. A gentle man is never angry at the wrong time, but sensitive at the right time (Mk 10:13-16). Jesus was gentle to the “least”, like Riley who believed with child-like faith.
9. Self-Control does a body good. Self-control–born of Spirit— gives you lasting victory when you run to win an imperishable crown. (1Corinthian 9:24)
Are you a spreader of the Fruit of the Spirit where people catch what you have like Riley Fogarty? He was crowned king because he moved people to look beyond differences and to find their common ground—love. He quarantined autism.
The little worship hymn “This Little Light of Mine” may not be on your playlist when it comes to getting your worship on. But I can’t think of a better song that captures the spirit of the Riley Fogarty that is possible in all of us.
This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine This little light of mine I'm gonna let it shine Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine.
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