Play Well With Others

If you were 8 years old and on a playground, what would the other kids say about you? Would they say you are nice or mean?  Do you have a circle of friends that is closed off to newcomers and outsiders or do you let everyone play? When faced with someone who does something you don’t like, do you uninvited them to your birthday? 

As adults, we often jokingly use the phrase, “he doesn’t play well with others”.  The truth is, God wants us to love, encourage and be unified. He wants us to play well with others.  Does this mean that everyone I come in contact with is my BFF? Does this mean I mindlessly agree with everything someone says so I won’t cause friction? 

Playing well with others means we’re allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, exhibiting the fruit that God has put there.  As believers, we have a full basket of the fruits of the spirit the moment we become His. He puts the love in our hearts and then the Holy Spirit works in us to produce the rest.  Just like fruit is the by-product of the tree, the fruits of the spirit are by-products of God’s love in us.

Am I encouraging others in their faith? Am I bringing unity, not dissension to the body of Christ? Sharing myself and God’s love with the world means that I “play well with others”. 

Galatians 5:22, 23 “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!