We are called to bear fruit.

As I reflect on my trips to Kenya, some of my fondest memories involve Sunday morning worship with the locals. They sing with abandon and dance from the joy in their hearts without restraint. This year, we spent Sunday morning at Maasai Corner. We had the privilege to hear from Pastor Daniel, a guest speaker who had traveled from western Kenya to be at Maasai Corner for a pastors conference weekend. He shared from John 15 where Jesus is speaking to His followers and says, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit."

As Pastor Daniel shared about his extensive time serving as a pastor, he told of the prioritization of his time being focused on ministry activities. During this time, his daughter suddenly became paralyzed from the waist down and began developing swelling on her brain. After multiple hospital visits, several tests and selling most of their possessions to raise funds, they were able to afford surgery to remove a tumor that had grown on her spinal cord. Although the surgery was considered successful, his daughter remained paralyzed. What followed was continuous care for eight years until she died at the age of 20. As you can imagine, Pastor Daniel's priorities changed when his daughter became ill. He learned that he had been neglecting his family in favor of ministry, and missing out on God's calling to be a husband and a father first and then a pastor. In effect, he was limiting his ability to bear fruit by focusing all his time and energy on his role as a pastor. He shared from his heart he had learned that although priorities can be focused on good things, such as ministry, those priorities will not yield as much fruit if they are out of order.

We are called to bear fruit as followers of Christ - not asked - called. And part of that process will involve uncomfortable pruning so we can produce more fruit. So what is this fruit we are called to bear? Galatians 5:22-23 spells it out for us, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there s no law." Maybe there are multiple callings on your life. Maybe one is foreign missions, or maybe it is partnering with a local organization to be a mentor to a child in need. Perhaps you are still searching for your calling. One thing is for sure, if you are a Christ-follower, you are called to bear fruit laid out in Galatians 5. For myself, each time I visit Kenya and get a firsthand look at the impact Maasai Corner and Mbewau Academy are having to transform lives and set them up with a better future and an eternal hope only Christ can give, I am spurred and convicted to bear more fruit - to be more loving, more joyful, more faithful, etc. It changes not only our own lives, but impacts the lives of those around us as well.

Karen Sandifer
Arlington, TX.