Recognizing

Sometimes we don't recognize fruit when we see it. For example, tomatoes are one of America's favorite fruits, not vegetables. These delicious fruits are found from Oregon to Florida (to Iten's patio). Who would order a sizzling hamburger without tomatoes on it--or at least, dead ones? You know. Ketchup. What Southerner doesn't lie awake at night dreaming of a delicious tomato sandwich? BLT must be one of America's favorite abbreviations. Who could enjoy pasta without tomato sauce? And--ahhh---pizza.
Spiritual fruit is also sometimes overlooked by others--especially those fruits that are viewed as secondary or "helps" but not the important ones. You know, the BIG ones like "love" and "joy." But you can't love without gentleness, submission, patience, meekness, self-control. Without those other aspects of the fruit of the Spirit, you don't have love--whether you think you do or not. What you have is pizza with nothing on it--not even tomatoes or cheese. And we wonder why the world doesn't want what we have? Would you "order" such a pizza?
I think the real problem is that we don't like the maturing process that produces fruit. We don't want to develop a sense of His presence, to suffer, to give "things" up, to become totally dependent on Him, to pray until God answers. We want fruit that impresses others, but the fruit that nourishes comes from a mature tree and that cost too much struggle. But the purpose of fruit is not to make a tree beautiful; its purposes are to feed others, to reproduce more fruit-bearing trees, to maintain a quality of life.
I don't know how "real" your spiritual fruit is; I may have a fairly good idea if I see you in action over a long period of time. I'm sure that your family and your best friends know. God knows. A quality Christian life can be measured only by the quality of the fruit produced--the depth to which Christ can be seen in me in all that I do. I yield fruit only when I yield daily to the power of the Spirit working in me--completely yield.