Fruit of the Spirit ~ JOY

This is the 2nd swap in this series.

There will be 9 months of the "Fruit of the Spirit" swap, we will focus on a different "fruit" each month. Along with this swap, there will be threads in the G.I.F.T. group forum that will go along with this swap. Be sure to check each month what fruit topic we will be working on. Please read through the whole swap description for how to engage in this swap.

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." ~ Galatians 5:22-23

August 2022 ~ JOY (Watermelon)

Joy, in fruit form, is a watermelon. God calls us to have joyful hearts. I like to think He wants us to overflow with joy like a watermelon overflows with juiciness, without letting the stickiness of life get in the way.

"For the joy of the Lord is your strength." ~ Nehemiah 8:10

Can you have joy in the chaos? Or does your moodiness hover over everyone like a cloud? Not that anyone should be joyful about the hard times, but rather your joy comes from #1) God is with you through it and #2) God uses every trial to help you become stronger in the faith.

During the month of August, work on JOY by:

1. Read/Study scriptures about JOY.

2. Praying for your swap partners (sending to and receiving from)

3. Commenting in group forum threads that go with this swap

4. Applying yourself daily to improve on the Fruit of the Spirit

Once you have been assigned to your swap partner:

1. Pray for your partners (sending to and receiving from)

2. Post images/verses on each partners profile that goes along with the Fruit of the Spirit ~ August is JOY and the fruit that represents it is Watermelon.

3. Send your partner (only the one assigned to you to send, not receive) a notecard telling them your thoughts on the fruit for that month, along with a surprise that goes along with the fruit for that month. Ideas: loose stickers or sticker sheet, handmade item, notecard, memo sheets, postcard, fridge magnet, keychain, ATC, Etsy or Amazon gift. Anything that represents that fruit. You can choose the $ value according to what your budget allows.

There may be months that you can't find anything to go with the fruit that's represented for that month, if this happens you can send any other kind of fruit that you think represents the spiritual fruit for that month. Be sure to let your swap partner know why you sent a different fruit item.

Please rate your swap partner promptly once you have received your notecard with surprise. Give a 5 rating if they met the swap requirements and give a heart if you feel it's deserved. Please don't base your rating on the $ value you receive.

I tried to explain this swap the best I could, but if it's still confusing to you, please comment below or message me.