I have a stack of my mum’s handkerchiefs – hankies we called them. One particular one stands out to me. Edged in dainty lace, tiny initials are embroidered in the corner of the soft cloth square– the initials of my mum’s new married name! I gaze at them fondly, imagining her spending hours aboard the troop ship, embroidering, on her way to a new life with my dad, as they travelled from Czechoslovakia to Singapore, which was then part of Malaya, in 1947. I treasure this hanky; it reminds me of my mum and of her life story every time I use it. Not all the hankies in the pile have initials – they could be anybody’s – but this one definitely identifies my mum to me.

“And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own, by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.” (Ephesians 1:13 NLT)

Some translations use the word “sealed” or “marked” for “identified”, suggesting an action has been carried out on God’s part. God marked us as His children when we believed, just as the embroidered initials on my mum’s hanky marked it as belonging to her. God’s seal, however is invisible to us. How, then, can we be identified as belonging to God? How can others see us as belonging to Him?

“But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control.” (Galatians 5:22 NLT)

“Jesus said, ‘Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. Yes, I am the vine, and you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.'” (John 15:4,5 NLT)

When we accepted Jesus as Saviour, we were grafted into Him, the Vine. We branches just grow. As we depend on Jesus day to day, His life-giving “sap” flows into us. Our own strength fails, our wisdom is insufficient, and our natural abilities may come to an end. When we stay attached to Him, and mature in our relationship with Jesus, these fruits – His character – grow spontaneously in us. We can’t produce them on our own, but we grow them by remaining close to Jesus

After my mum died, I commented to my brother, “Mum was a true Christian.”

Even though he is not a believer, my brother agreed with me. “I know.” he said. The character qualities of our mother stood out to him.

Let’s be people who stand out in this this world as we reflect the character of Jesus. Let’s be people who remind others of Him, as we stay connected to the Vine. May our godly character, the fruit of the Spirit, be the mark that identifies us as followers of Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, help us to stay attached to You so we can be identified as Your followers. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Alice Burnett
Red Deer, Alberta, Canada