The fruit of the Spirit is… kindness…. Galatians 5:22
I’m not a wine drinker, but I’ve always heard that wine mellows with age. So when I learned that the word “kindness” in Galatians 5 essentially means to be mellow, I decided to do a little research. What I discovered is that as wine ages, it tends to lose some of its acidity. Therefore, certain wines that would be unpleasant to consume in its youth would be more acceptable after it has had time to mellow.
There is a message here for Christians. If part of the fruit of the Spirit is kindness and if kindness means to be mellow, then one of the ways we can judge the quality of our life in Christ is to see whether or not we are becoming less acidic in our relationship with others. This is best tested in our unguarded moments especially when we are under stress.
Think of it this way. What do you get when you squeeze a tube of toothpaste? Toothpaste, of course. That’s what’s inside the tube. The same is true when life puts the squeeze on us. What’s in us comes out of us. If our hearts are full of acid, then that’s what will come out. But if we have mellowed, if we have allowed the Spirit to age us within, kindness is what comes out.
So what do we do if we realize that we have more acid in us than kindness? Well, I did some more research on wine making. This is going to a bit simplistic for the true wine connoisseurs out there, but here’s what I discovered. To properly age wine requires two elements: a suitable environment and time. As to the environment, a place where the temperature is cool and consistent is ideal. Also, wine ages best when allowed to remain still in a room with limited light. The length of time that is needed depends on what type of wine is being aged. Some wines need to only age for a few years. Other wines can benefit from several decades of aging.
Believers also need the right environment and time in order to become kinder or more mellow. They need an environment that is less stressful, less activity driven. They need to simply “be” in God’s presence to allow the Spirit to do His transforming work within. And they need time. There’s no shortcut to being mellow. But as the months and years go by in the right environment, the soul has a chance to age well. And the result is a kindness that comes from deep within even when life puts the squeeze on us.
Imagine what that would be like. Safer relationships. Calmer spirits. Less acid. More kindness.
Let the mellowing begin.