I love radishes. Yes, the garden vegetable. I’ve always enjoyed their zippy taste and crunchy, crisp texture. They are my absolute favorite snack when available. Some might say it’s a little weird. When I was a junior in college, a potential employer asked me what I would be if I were a topping on a salad (yes, this was a real interview question), and my response after much pause was “um…I think I would be a radish.” My rationale further explaining that radishes are spicy and unique – not commonly on the typical American salad, but really adding a great flavor to the mix. Pretty good answer, huh? And yes, I was offered that internship in case you’re curious. So, why am I telling you this story?

Well, today, was a day when my love for the radish became one of those confirmation moments from Holy Spirit that I was in the right place at the right time and listening to a message specifically for me. This “radish moment” is also what has given me the motivation to write today. I find true joy in these special glimpses of God’s faithfulness that reveal His relational qualities.

I’ve been checking out different churches now that I’m back in Kentucky, and conveniently, the large church I attended over a decade ago has built a satellite campus fifteen minutes from me. Hallelujah! The sermon series for the past two months has been diving into The Fruit of The Spirit” and is going through Galatians 5. Verses 22-23 discuss the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Today’s sermon was on the fruit of self-control. It’s definitely a save-the-most-complicated-for-last order, and I personally think that the order of the fruit was entirely intentional here.

Anyway, I should note that I almost did not get out of bed this morning to go to the 11:15 am service. It’s one of the first weeks where the weather really feels like Fall outside, and the temperature of the house was only 66 degrees Fahrenheit / 18 degrees Celsius this morning. I did not want to get out from under my cozy, warm covers. However, my intentions were to go to church in person, and as I began to start moving around, that little voice that always attempts to get you from going to something you know is good for you starts popping up with all sorts of “good” reasons to not attend. Thankfully, I was in step with Holy Spirit this morning and heard the subtle whispers that “it matters” for me to obediently put one foot in front of the other and drive to be surrounded by the community of believers and seekers, whether I was feeling it or not.

I think it’s good to mention now the specific title of the sermon when I arrived just in time for the pastor to preach (I recommend the replay that I’m linking here for you): “Becoming | Self-Control When You’re Not Feelin’ It.” About three fourths of the way through the sermon, the pastor brings up a scientific research study on self-control that involved sweets, a plate full of fresh chocolate chip cookies, and radishes. Yes, I said it, RADISHES?! Really?! He further discusses how he’s not really sure anyone’s favorite vegetable is the radish (a solid reminder that the preacher isn’t always right, he’s only human, lol). My laughter as he’s tying this together with scripture was not in his jest of my actual favorite vegetable, but it was a laughter knowing how seen I really was in that moment by my Father in Heaven.

The entire sermon was full of confirmation moments and specific verses, scripture, and phrases that God’s been speaking into and over my life within the past several months. The creator of the heavens and the earth knows me by name, and He knew I needed to hear from Him today (and that I would hear it) in an obscure way to confirm and comfort me during a season of my life that has been really disorienting and transitional. It never ceases to amaze me how God will use a sermon and His Word to speak directly to me in a way no one else could even possibly understand or know to do; how he can get a word to someone to deliver it to the person that needs it, uniquely. Simply put, it’s miraculous and supernatural.

So there it is. My radish moment. It’s exactly these moments that become the daily bread we need when life isn’t really looking anything like we thought it would. God cares about the smallest details of our lives and He’s in it for the long haul. I smile and write today, because I know what He’s called me to do. I encourage you to listen to the message from the sermon today, or simply dig into the soil of your life and ask Holy Spirit to show you your “radish” moments with God. I know you’ll find them. I know He’ll show them to you. And then I challenge you to go a step further and ask yourself: “God what are you trying to produce within me right now and will you help me see it grow?”