Soured Fruit

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I am not flawless or righteous, nor am I evil or faithless.
I seek goodness and kindness, but I fail at being gentle.
My heart desires peace while my soul lacks patience.
I can control my mind's desires when it comes to finding joy in everyday life, but I fall too quickly in love and find myself hurt and broken.

Galatians 5:22-23 is one of my favorite verses of the bible. I say it daily and use it as a mantra when I'm struggling through life. It is a goal that I fail at daily, but I still wake up every day and attempt it. The words above came to me this morning as I sat on my porch contemplating all I've been through recently. The fruits of the spirit encourage me and keep me mindful to my own expectations of myself.

So many things have happened over the last year. As hard as I tried, I still find myself looking back and feeling like I could have done better. I'm not proud of many of my actions. As much good as I attempted, I still committed the worst of sins. It is so hard to stay straight... and it is so easy to slip up.

All I can do is be kind to myself and keep putting my faith in God. I need to continue to seek to do good. I need to wake up each day and keep on trying - not focusing on my past failures.

Today can be a good day. And each day after can get better. I just have to keep trying.

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