Unravelling My Thoughts

Fruits of the Spirit--Goodness

People of all temperaments need this fruit. It is written that it better to give than receive, and that is what this fruit is: the giving of self and possessions. It is in a word: selflessness. This fruit is a dramatic mental health booster. When one helps others and doesn't focus on self-depreciating thoughts, then overall mental health improves. It is a good feeling to know that you have the power to make a difference in other people's lives. Giving to another, whether it be time, money, ideas, etc., boosts self-esteem. When you start focusing on others, your troubles will begin to not look so bleak. The blessings you receive in return are priceless. They may not come back in the same substance that you gave, but it is often far better than you could imagine. You may not be able to see it in the short-term, but in the long-run you will be blessed beyond measure.

People of Sanguine temperament often focus on themselves in conversation. Anyone who has studied business or networking knows that this is not a good approach to make contacts. It is also not a good approach to making long-lasting friendships. When Sanguines do incorporate this fruit into their lives, watch out. They are passionate, spontaneous, and emotional givers. When the hot buttons of their passions are pushed, they have no grief about giving fully of themselves in any way. They often think out of the box, so an idea that ignites their passions, no matter how far-fetched it might be, will have a lot of their attention and time. Thank God for these vivid dreamers.

Cholerics often give if it would help themselves personally in some way. That, although it is giving, is not the primary reason to give. They will miss out on opportunities to give and reach out to other people that could impact their lives in ways they will never know. Cholerics are practical and find it hard to think out of the box, for they have set their course in life and they are going toward their goals. They often ignore people they feel will not help them. Cholerics need a good dose of this fruit, for when it is incorporated into their lives, they will learn that putting others above themselves will gain them a peaceful, abundant life, full of friends and family. They use the abilities that were once used for selfish purposes, and teach others how they can gain confidence and a positive mental attitude. Cholerics are generally positive people, and that will stand out when they are driven by the Holy Spirit.

It is imperative that people of Melancholy temperament incorporate this fruit into their lives. They often focus on negative thoughts of self, and how they have failed. They get lost in a fog of gloom and doom, locked away to themselves. They suffer from self-depreciating thoughts. They anguish over past losses. This is not the life that God would want for the people He loves so much. When Melancholies incorporate this fruit into their lives it will be life-altering. Melancholies naturally feel emotionally drawn to others who are suffering. When they start reaching out to other, not for selfish reasons, but to help others get out of their ruts, then they themselves will be lifted up. Some of the greatest prophets of all time were Melancholies. The things Moses and Elijah had the power to do when they took their eyes off of themselves were phenomenal. These two Melancholy men changed many lives for the better. Melancholies who have been touched by the Holy Spirit can be extremely self-sacrificing, giving their time to others in abundance. They are often happy in their giving. They will learn who they really are when they reach out to others. They are powerful, heartfelt givers, and their attention to detail helps them to fully understand what it is that they should give. They are also, like the Sanguine, out of the box thinkers. They are not practical thinkers, but rather analytical. The possibility of things not yet seen are not invisible to them, so they do not hesitate to give of themselves for such purposes.

Anyone who has read earlier entries knows that I am of the Phlegmatic temperament, so I will speak from my own experience in saying that this fruit is lacking in us unless we strive to incorporate it. It is a sad thing, but we do not give if we feel that we do not have the time, money, or expertise to do so. If we are in times of stress, then we put a wall up around ourselves and feel that we cannot afford to give anyone anything that they could possibly do any good. We do not anguish over our failures, but our self-talk is of the practical, negative nature. We don't focus on "what if's," but we focus on what we have and what we don't. We often feel inferior and that giving of ourselves is pointless. We do not see the big picture. It has to be shown to us. We are often stingy in all of our giving for all of these reasons. It all boils down to selfishness. I have found that the best way to overcome negative thoughts is to help other people out of their burdening situations. We are peaceful people by nature and can help calm people's storms of life by just being the attentive listeners that God made us to be. We are not extremely emotional, so situations of distress others are in can be looked at from a practical perspective. Our humorous nature can also relieve tension in situations of distress. Helping others is the best self-esteem booster imaginable. We just need to get off of our rusty-dusties and get out and reach out to strangers. The fruit which helps overcome this fear of meeting new people and encountering difficult situations will be covered in a soon-to-come entry: faith.


Any comments on the fruit of goodness? Am I missing anything? Do you have any experienc you would like to share?