What Kind of Fruit Is Growing in Your Life? iBelieve Truth: A Devotional for Women - March 11, 2026
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law”—Galatians 5:22-23
While my husband was stationed with the Air Force in Anchorage, Alaska, Marilyn Downie was the pastor’s wife at the church we attended, letting us experience the pleasure and blessing of her care for us and others, as she tirelessly prepared and served delicious meals, invited us into her home, and shared baby and toddler items with us.
During the few years we lived there, Marilyn made a lasting impression on our lives, planting and watering priceless things into our lives, as well as into countless women, couples, and families who passed through the church’s doorways over the years. She’s reached out and ministered to us in practical, loving, and helpful ways, modeling submission to God, her husband, and to all of us in all she did.
She graciously lived out Titus 2:3-5: “Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. Then they can urge the younger women to love their husbands and children, be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.”
Planting and Watering Takes Time
Recently, Marilyn, who is also a retired Medical Technician, wife, mother, and gardener, described the lovely garden she’s been planting in her subdivision year after year, a corner flower garden on their home’s lot that greets her neighbors, their guests, delivery services, and more as they enter the neighborhood.
Working out in the sunshine and weather for hours a day, several days of the week, allows Marilyn to meet and greet those who come in and out of the neighborhood. As she works tirelessly, she chats with children and teenagers riding their bikes and scooters, with neighbors walking their dogs, jogging, and with everyone who stops to chat with her.
While she’s physically planting seeds and bulbs, she is also planting and watering spiritually. “Several times,” writes Marilyn, “this corner becomes a place of prayer, as neighbors share a medical concern, a loss, or concern.”
Sharing Out of Our Abundance
As lovely as Marilyn’s garden grows, she doesn’t hesitate to share its abundance, writing, “The abundance of fresh flowers has provided bouquets for special events of friends and neighbors.”
She also freely shares her bulbs and plant starts with neighbors and friends, experiencing the joy of seeing them bloom and grow in their own yards.
Jesus urges in Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
As well, He teaches in Matthew 13:12, “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
In inviting neighbors into her home for dinner and ministering to them, Marilyn had no idea that, in the years to come, the same people she was ministering to would minister to her and her husband in practical and giving ways when they themselves faced struggles with age and health concerns.
So, how are our gardens growing? Are we planting and watering those around us, ministering to them out of our abundance in ways that God grows and brings good fruit from it?
Our Fruit Is Showing
As Jesus reminds us in Matthew 7:16-20, whether we know it or not, our fruit is showing.
“By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father, help us to spiritually plant and water those around us in ways that cause growth in their lives and draw them to You. Lead us, too, to give and share generously out of our abundance and to look for ways to bless and minister to those around us. In Jesus’ name, Amen
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/ipopba
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Managing Anxiety with Christ and Practical Tools
Why do we still struggle with anxiety—even when we’re praying, trusting God, and trying to move forward in faith? In this episode of Faith Over Fear, we explore why ongoing anxiety isn’t a sign of weak faith but often an invitation to deeper dependence on Christ. Through honest conversation and lived experience, you’ll hear how trauma, stress, and biology impact our thoughts and emotions, along with simple, Christ-centered tools to help calm your body, interrupt spiraling thoughts, and stay present with God in real time. From breath prayers and grounding techniques to practicing “micro-moments” of awareness throughout the day, this episode offers a practical, grace-filled approach to managing anxiety while reminding you that you’re not alone—God meets you right in the middle of the struggle, and that’s often where healing begins. If this episode helps you face fear with God's confidence, be sure to follow Faith Over Fear on Apple or Spotify so you get new episodes every week!
