Going fruit to root. What does that mean in your life? Think of your favorite fruit: peaches, apples, mangoes, blueberries. I love it when all of these fruits are in season and are so fresh and delicious.
As you think of your favorite fruit, think of how it grows. On a tree, a bush, on a plant like strawberries?
Think of all of the parts of the plant or tree of your favorite fruit: the stem, the branches, the tree trunk, the prickles, the leaves, the flowers that turn into fruit, and the roots.
Is each part of the plant or tree important? Yes, you wouldn’t have the delicious fruit unless you have all of the parts.
Now, do you eat the rotten fruit or the nice, ripe juicy fruit? Of course the nice, ripe juicy fruit. Who wants to eat the rotten fruit?
Can you have both rotten fruit and ripe, ready to eat fruit on the tree at the same time? Yes.
CHECKING THE FRUIT IN YOUR LIFE
Can you have a great career and still be struggling financially? Can you have a lot of money and still feel unfulfilled?
Do you have a great relationship with your spouse? You love spending time together and your marriage is good? Or do you fight a lot, he annoys you, it’s better when he’s not home, or you are divorced?
There is no judgment here. We are doing the work of looking at the fruit in our lives.
Is this You, Mama?
Can you have lots of friends and still be lonely and not actually have that one trusted friend whom you can share your struggles with?
Do you have fun with the kids, laugh and enjoy their company? You actually enjoy being with them all day. Or do they drive you crazy, it’s better when they are seen and not heard, all they do it fight with each other, and constantly call, “Mommy!”, and you try really hard not to shout but most times they only listen when you shout.
Are you excited to get up each day because you love what you do and each day’s a new adventure. Or it feels like the same old same old thing each day. You hit snooze five times. It’s just better to stay in bed the rest of the morning.
We can keep going here but you get the idea. I’m showing you examples of the nice, ripe juicy fruit in your life that you want more of and the rotten fruit that is making everything else rotten, too.
So Yes! to the rotten fruit and nice, ripe juicy fruit all at the same time. You can have lots of things going well for you and still have this one area where you are struggling.
As you live and learn, try new things, and face challenges or pressures, each of these can reveal areas in your life that need refining or growth. O, there’s some rotten fruit there. Got to get it out or it will corrupt the whole plant.
It’s easy to identify the rotten fruit on a plant or a tree. It’s right in front of you. You see it and you pick it off right away.
ACKNOWLEDGE THE ROTTEN FRUIT IN YOUR LIFE
The rotten fruit in your life…well, it can be harder to identify. Or is it that we don’t actually want to deal with it? It’s our default response. It’s become our safe way to handle things even though it’s not the best way or the right way.
The fruit in your life I’d like to talk more about here in this podcast episode is the CHARACTER you see in your life. WHO you are when everything is good and going well and WHO you are when it gets stressful or the challenging, or not the way you planned. That’s when what’s in your heart comes out, isn’t it?
Let’s talk about the Fruits of the Spirit in your life such as love. Is your love for your husband and your children unconditional love or conditional? Can you still choose joy and have patience even when the day goes off the rails and the children are driving you crazy?
It’s Good to Check In, Mama
Does peace remain in your heart, steady, eyes on Jesus, confident in His promises no matter what’s going on around you? That’s a good one! When you can’t see eye to eye with a co-worker or a family member or even your spouse, do you remember kindness and agree to disagree?
Rotten fruit in your life could be an ungodly attitude or atmosphere that you are carrying or giving off. It could be a wrong mindset or lies that you are believing.
Rotten fruit is anything that “steals, kills, and destroys” something in your life.
You heard My Story in episode 36. I shared how when I stopped long enough after thinking, “Wait. How’d we get here? I do not like this life we are living,” and looked at the fruit in my life, my fruit was rotten with negativity, criticism, judgment, passing my frustration on to Andrew and the kids because I didn’t have things all together and perfect which surely meant that I wasn’t good enough.
This was the rotten fruit in my life that filled my tree and was dropping all over the ground. It was definitely an ungodly attitude and atmosphere that I was carrying around and giving off. It was stealing my joy, breaking the relationship between Andrew and the children and I.
HOW ABOUT YOU? WHAT IS THE FRUIT IN YOUR LIFE?
GO FRUIT TO ROOT to figure out why the rotten fruit in your life is there. Why does it keep showing up in what you are thinking, what you are saying, and how you are responding?
Going fruit to root is the number one thing I did to help me change my thinking, the words I spoke, and how I responded. Going fruit to root is what helps me to stay a Renewed Mama. I know that if you will use these Fruit to Root steps, it will help you, too.
Now, I didn’t come up with this myself. Remember, I was only focused on my overwhelm and frustration and stress. You and I both know that what we focus on, we get more of. I learned about going fruit to root through:
Dani Johnson and her First Steps to Success
Dawn De Silva Shifting Atmospheres and SOZO: Saved, Healed, Delivered. A Journey into Freedom with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
LET’S GO FRUIT TO ROOT TOGETHER
Think of one thing in your life that you don’t like. Think of an ungodly attitude or atmosphere that you are carrying or giving off, a wrong mindset or lie that you are believing. You have been trying to change it, to do better, to be better, but it’s not working. It’s still rotten fruit.
Acknowledge the Fruit
First ACKNOWLEDGE THE FRUIT Is it ripe and juicy or rotten? Acknowledge it now. You can say it out loud or write it down.
Follow the Fruit to the Root
Now FOLLOW THE FRUIT TO THE ROOT by asking yourself, “WHY is this my default response?” Why is this my default attitude? How is this a pattern in my behavior?
Is this a lie or is this true about me? If it’s a lie, why do I believe this lie?
Ask Holy Spirit to help you to uncover the answer to these questions.
Say, “Holy Spirit, I give You permission to point out the rotten fruit in my life and why it’s there. Show me the lies I am believing. I want to think right, to speak right, and to respond right. I worship You when I do.
Get to the Root and Dit It Out
Now GET TO THE ROOT AND DIG IT OUT
Where did you first think or learn this? When did you first believe this lie that created this mindset?
Who did you learn this from?
Most times, this goes all the way back to your childhood through something spoken over you, how you were treated, what you saw in your parents, what you learned or experienced in the classroom or on the playground.
Ask, Holy Spirit, Where did I first think or learn this? When did I first believe this lie that created this mindset? Who did I learn this from?
You need to get to the root and pull it out. You can’t just cut off a branch because the bad roots are still there. Picking all of the rotten fruit off the tree and leaving it on the ground will cause brown rot to spread into the fruit of the tree leading to an infection next year.
Do you want to be in this same place next year still walking around giving off ungodly attitudes or atmospheres or still living with wrong mindsets or lies? You were made to walk in freedom and in Christ you have everything you need that pertains to life and godliness. II Peter 1:3-11
When you realize the root, “I remember when….” “I saw my mom or dad respond this way” “This happened on the playground” “I was mistreated by….” Then it’s time to replace it with truth.
Replace it with Truth
The truth is the opposite. The enemy is always working against God so truth is the exact opposite of darkness.
If it’s a lie or a wrong mindset, tell Holy Spirit, “I hand you this lie I’ve been believing because of……the root. Would You remove all ungodly mindsets attached to this lie? What is the truth You want to show me to replace this lie? I choose to focus on what God says about this.”
If it’s a behavior, tell Holy Spirit, please forgive me for …name your wrong behavior.
Holy Spirit, would You remove any harm this has caused my children and husband?
What is the truth You want to show me to replace this lie?
How should I respond next time? I choose to focus on what You say about this and to respond how You want me to respond.
CHECK YOUR FRUIT
Test your thoughts, the words you speak, and how you respond throughout the day. Is it love, joy, peace? If it isn’t, root it out and refuse to make agreement with it. Refuse to continue thinking it, speaking it, and behaving in that way.
You choose what you think and say and how you behave. You are in control of that.
Stop yourself and say, “Wait a minute. I don’t want to think this. I don’t want to respond like this. This is not adding to my life. What is actually going on here? Why am I defaulting to this response? Is there a lie I’m believing? When did I first think it was OK to respond like this? What does God say about this?”
Take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. II Corinthians 10:5
Set a guard about your lips that you might not sin against God. Psalm 39:1 Psalm 141:3
Will you go fruit to root in the areas where you identify rotten fruit in your life?
Let me know. Share in the comments or message me what rotten fruit you are rooting out of your life and the truth that you are replacing it with.
I encourage you to share this episode with your husband. Have him listen to it and if there is an area of finances, marriage struggles, or parenting struggles, go fruit to root together. Seek Holy Spirit together to identify where you first began in these ways or in the lies. Open God’s Word together to find His truth to replace the lies and ungodly attitudes or atmospheres with. And then lovingly keep each other accountable.
NEED MORE HELPING GOING FRUIT TO ROOT?
You are important to me.
When you need another Mama’s help to go fruit to root, I am here to work with you one on one through Renewed Mama Coaching.
Sometimes, we are in the thick of it and we can’t see beyond what we are dealing with each day. We just need another Mama to talk to. Another Mama to help us up and over where we are stuck.
Go to Renewed Mama Coaching and book your first coaching chat with me.
