🌿 Tattooed Truth: Why I’m Getting the Fruit of the Spirit

I’ve made the decision to get the Fruit of the Spirit tattooed as a vine wrapping around my inner arm... not just as body art, but as a sacred, daily reminder of who I’m becoming in Christ.

Not just who I hope to be, but who the Holy Spirit is shaping me into...

Not a decoration... declaration...

Not perfection... but progress...

Each word I plan to have tattooed holds deep meaning to me. They are called "the fruit" of the Spirit because together, they work in harmony. They grow as one. And when they’re all alive in us, it’s the evidence of the Spirit moving, healing, and transforming.

As Galatians 5:22–23 says:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

This tattoo is something I’ve prayed about and dreamed about because when I look down at my arm, I want to remember. When I’m anxious, hurting, overstimulated, or stuck in a spiral… I want to trace my finger along the vine and come back to truth. I want each word to center me, calm me, and remind me who I am and Whose I am.

It wasn’t just my idea... It was God who placed it in my heart during prayer. I had been praying for the fruit of the Spirit to grow in my life lately... to be filled with these qualities....and to be present in my husband, In my marriage and In our home...and I felt God whisper to me that this would be my next tattoo. I began to search on Pinterest and the vision came alive: a vine wrapping around my right arm, with each fruit of the Spirit blooming from it... I've never been more sure of anything. I cried working on creating my tattoo and In writing this blog today because it means so much to me.

Here’s what each part of the fruit means to me, in my own words and heart:

💛 Love

When I look at the word love, I remember the way God loves us. Unconditionally. Forever. Steadfast. With grace... Even when we mess up, even when we fall short. That kind of love...a love filled with grace ... is the love I want to give.... one that reflects God.

HE ...is why I love unconditionally.

"We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19

---

😊 Joy

When I look at the word joy...I know that when you have the Holy Spirit in you and you walk with God and Jesus, you naturally emit joy.

As Christians...we’re meant to carry his light... But...sometimes life is hard, and it’s easy to feel bitter or heavy or dim... But I want people to see the light of Jesus in me. I want the joy I’ve seen in others to live in me, too.

"The joy of the Lord is your strength." - Nehemiah 8:10

---

🕊 Peace

Peace that passes all understanding... That’s the peace I want.

When I see this on my arm, I want to breathe, pause, and feel it wash over me. Not peace from perfect circumstances...but peace from trusting in God and In his timing, plan and purpose for my life.

"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."-Philippians 4:7

---

⏳ Patience

Don’t we all need patience? I know I do...

In healing. In relationships. In reacting. In timing. In the day-to-day. I want to stop rushing and learn to rest in the moment. To remember how patient God is with me.

"Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." -Ephesians 4:2

---

🧲 Kindness

I want to be remembered for being kind.

I’ve been told I’m strong, assertive, loyal, and fierce ... and I am. But I want to be kind...too. I want my strength to be wrapped in softness.

"Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." - Ephesians 4:32

---

✨ Goodness

Goodness to me...Is integrity...Doing right, even when no one sees. Living with a pure heart. Being honest. Being Real.

I want people to see God's goodness in my heart. In my choices and In my character. I want that to be part of my legacy...

"Surely your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." - Psalm 23:6

---

🙏 Faithfulness

Faithfulness means showing up. Staying steady. Staying honest.

To God. To Adrian. To my healing. To my identity. I want to be faithful in the small things and the big ones...because God has always been faithful to me.

"Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart."-Proverbs 3:3

---

🍀 Gentleness

Gentleness isn’t weakness. It’s strength under control.

It’s love when you could lash out... It’s grace when you could shame. I want to be gentle with others and with myself.

"Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near." -Philippians 4:5

---

🔐 Self-Control

I can’t control anyone else....Not their thoughts. Not their words. Not their actions. Not their reactions. Not what happens.

But... I can control me.

Self-control has always been a struggle for me.

With OCD, control can feel like survival...But God reminds me: peace doesn’t come from control, it comes from surrender. I want this word to remind me to let go and let God.

"Like a city whose walls are broken through is a person who lacks self-control." - Proverbs 25:2

---

🌸 One Spirit. One Fruit. All of Me.

I don’t want to just be loving when it's easy...or joyful when it's all perfect...

I don't just want one of these fruits...I don't want to be just one thing...no...

I want to be loving AND joyful AND peaceful AND patient AND kind AND good AND faithful AND gentle AND self-controlled.

I want the Spirit to produce all these things in me...together...In harmony.

These qualities don’t grow separately. When the Holy Spirit lives in you, they grow as one beautiful fruit.

"I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

That’s what I pray for. That’s why I want this tattoo.

This tattoo won’t just be ink.

It will be legacy.

It will be transformation.

It will be a prayer that never stops blooming.

At my funeral one day...

Let them say I bore the fruit of the Spirit.

Let them say I was filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Because that’s who I want to be...

That’s who I’m becoming.

And with God...all things are possible.

"With God, all things are possible" -Matthew 19:26.