Yesterday I was chatting to my friend Dave. Dave’s an expert at telling you what’s wrong – what’s wrong with schools, teenagers today, the health service, the government, electric cars, the BBC, employment law, immigration, the European Union, the Middle East…
Wanting light relief I found myself singing, ‘The fruit of the Spirit’s not a coconut…’
This morning I shall go to church. In churches I’ve met many ‘Daves’ – who say what’s wrong, what they don’t like or don’t believe in… the service isn’t enthusiastic/reverent enough, the songs aren’t right, the Bible reading’s from the wrong translation, the sermon’s not long/short enough, the coffee’s the wrong sort, and the fruit of the Spirit’s definitely not a coconut, banana, watermelon, lemon, cherry or a grape.
I’ve spent many years teaching, singing, leading ‘children’s songs’ – in school, in church… ‘Children’s songs’ are just songs with simple tunes and simple words… Christian children’s songs in particular are sometimes more profound, enjoyable and memorable that some ‘adult’ songs.
Having said what the fruit of the Spirit isn’t, this ‘children’s’ song then points to the good, the positive, the simple yet profound: ‘Cause the fruit is Love, joy, peace, patience, Kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gentleness and self-control…’
In a world that delights in highlighting the negative and offering no solution, I reflect on Jesus who didn’t avoid or ignore the bad, but presented us with a better alternative on which we can focus.
malcolmsmusings.org 
It seems folks with a critical spirit are in abundance nowadays! They have probably been around for a long time, we just didn’t have social media before form them to share it with us!
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The danger is that we can be critical of those who are critical! It seems to me that it’s better to counter the negative with the positive.
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I agree!
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You are so right that children’s songs often combine the positive and the profound. So good, Malcolm!
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My experience has been that they are easily dismissed. They’ve certainly have meant a lot to me.
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And are catchy too!
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One of my favorite verses to keep my mental focus positive. I like your point about offering solutions.
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It’s the old story, Dana, of those who focus on what they don’t believe, don’t agree with and don’t like… There must be more – and better – than that!
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Very good post! You have shared two very important verses from scripture as to how we are to live our lives. When we focus our lives on God’s goodness, mercy, and love, we are filled with gratitude. This spills over into how we view the world and people around us.
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I think it is getting the right balance that many of us struggle with – but like you, Linda, I would rather focus on the positive.
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