Conker Fights
Image: Facebook
Autumn is my favourite season. I love seeing the trees change from vibrant greens to glorious yellows, oranges and reds, and the days getting shorter.
When I was at primary school, there was one thing which dominated this time of the year – conker fights.
For those who don’t know, a conker fight is a traditional game where two players take turns striking each other's conker hanging on a string until one of them breaks.
Our school premises had some large Horse Chestnut trees which produced plenty of seeds (conkers), so we had plenty to use.
We would gather as many as we could and ‘prepare’ them for combat. There were a few techniques people used to harden a conker: soaking it in vinegar, storing it in the airing cupboard and even coating it in clear nail varnish!
Then, on the playground, battle would commence. We would take turns to try and destroy the opponents conker. Sometimes a good conker would last a few fights.
Conker fights were a simple and fun way to use the ‘fruit’ from a Horse Chestnut tree. Another kind of fruit is written about in the Bible…
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”
These kinds of fruit grow as a result of God the Holy Spirit working in the life of a person. When someone becomes a follower of Jesus, they are changed on the inside first then begin to live differently.
In my experience, as I live in a relationship with Jesus, through prayer, studying the Bible and transformation, the Holy Spirit grows these fruits in me.
As God works in me, these fruits have grown, not all at the same time, but different ones, at different times and situations. The more I am open to God changing me, the more the fruit grows.
As we head into autumn, let me encourage you to look at what fruit of the Spirit is growing in your life?
God bless you:)
Gary Bastin
Hope Community Church leader