Show love - reject bitterness

May 7 marked our nation's 75th annual National Day of Prayer. This milestone year of reverence to the Lord carried the theme "Glorify God Among the Nations — Seeking Him in All Generations." For many, this theme holds special significance, as we will be celebrating America's 250th anniversary in July. The prayer that was posted on the NDP website was written by Task Force President Kathy Branzell, and in it, she praises God for guarding and guiding our country since its inception. The beginning of the prayer is an earnest statement of confession, where Branzell writes, "Almighty God, King of Glory, we confess our sins and repent of our pride that sought our own glory and comfort, allowing evil to take root instead of Your fruit in our hearts, homes, culture, and country. Please forgive us." Her mention of God's fruit, which Scripture refers to as the fruit of the Spirit, especially resonated with me, as my pastor, Overseer S.D. Carter, has been diligently teaching about it throughout this year. Many of our Bible study lessons have focused on the power of the Holy Spirit that is revealed through the fruit listed in Galatians 5:22: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness and faith. Notice that love is mentioned first, from which the remaining fruits are produced. One cannot claim to have gentleness and goodness without love first, as 1 Corinthians 13:13 declares that love is the greatest virtue in a believer's Godly character. When contemplating the overall mood of many Americans at present, I don't think anyone would disagree that more love is needed. Surveys show that political polarization continues to deeply divide people, making it extremely difficult to find common ground. A recent term coined by the nonprofit and nonpartisan organization More in Common is "Perception Gap," which they define as "the gap between what we imagine an opposing group believes and what that group actually believes." More in Common has conducted polls on hot-button partisan issues such as "climate change, patriotism, sexual assault, and police conduct," where dissenting viewpoints easily get folks riled up. However, one positive finding from their 2019 survey in partnership with YouGov was that "(e)ven on the most controversial issues in our national debates, Americans are less divided than most of us think." Social media and biased news reporting were seen as reasons for perceived growing misconceptions, which is understandable, as we are constantly inundated with news on television or through our smartphones. While we may not be as divided as the news purports, we cannot deny that deep hostilities exist, and in reflecting back on Branzell's prayer for the nation, we need to examine them at the root. For me, this is a personal spiritual assessment of how I treat others. For example, I do not want a seed of bitterness to take root if I have a disagreement with someone. This is where I have to show love, the first fruit of the Holy Spirit, in my daily interactions. When Branzell mentioned the need for God's fruit in "our hearts, homes, culture, and country," I also thought of the illustration Christ gives of Himself as the Vine in John 15, where He states that if we abide in Him as branches, we will produce much fruit. In this teaching, Christ explains that God, as our Father, is the Gardener who prunes us by cutting back the things in our lives that hinder our spiritual growth. Branzell was praying for spiritual growth, which is needed not only because of sharp political rifts but also because many Americans are losing hope and are extremely pessimistic about their finances and the rising cost of living. In these times, we must, as Branzell prayed, continue to seek God for his "wisdom, grace, mercy, and love," the spiritual foundation that has sustained many throughout our country's history. Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com.