Ripe Over Rotten

When you see this title, what do you think of? Most would say fruit. I don’t know about you, but when I go to the grocery store for fruit, my goal is to buy it ripe, not rotten. I know I wouldn’t enjoy rotten fruit. It’s likely gone bad to the point of no longer having anything beneficial to offer. It simply sat too long without being used for what it was meant for.

Similarly, when we make rotten decisions, the side effects tend to hurt more than they help. When we make ripe decisions, the side effects are rewarding. One leads to regret, the other leads to growth.

We can keep talking about fruit that we eat, but I’d like to mention a different type of fruit: the fruit of the Spirit.

My brother, Darian Rice, and I recently released a book entitled Ripe Over Rotten, where we explore what it looks like to choose the fruit of the Spirit over the sinful nature. When we choose what is ripe—what is led by the Spirit—we position ourselves to experience God in ways that stretch our understanding. It’s not always easy to ignore rotten tendencies. Sometimes, what is “rotten” feels familiar, even comfortable. But familiarity doesn’t always mean it’s fruitful.

And that’s really the tension, isn’t it?

We often find ourselves standing between what feels natural and what is actually life-giving. Between impulse and obedience. Between what satisfies for a moment and what sustains for a lifetime. Choosing ripe over rotten is not just a one-time decision—it’s a daily posture of surrender.

The beautiful part is this: God never calls us to a standard He won’t also empower us to live out. The fruit of the Spirit isn’t something we manufacture in our own strength—it’s something that grows in us as we stay connected to Him. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control don’t come from striving harder—they come from abiding deeper.

So the real question becomes: what are we feeding?

Because whatever we consistently feed will eventually show fruit in our lives.

And I’ll be honest—this book wasn’t written from a place of having it all figured out. It came from wrestling, learning, and recognizing the difference between what looks good in the moment and what is actually life-giving in the long run. We all have “rotten” tendencies we’re learning to lay down. But there is grace for that process, and there is growth on the other side of it.

If I try to say everything here, I might end up writing the whole book in a blog post… and I’ll leave some of that for you to discover inside Ripe Over Rotten. So if this resonates with you, head over to Amazon and grab a copy—you’ll find the rest of the thoughts waiting for you there. 🙂

More than anything, I hope this encourages you to pause and reflect: What fruit is being produced in your life right now? And is it ripe—or is it time to make a different choice?

Because what you choose daily becomes what you carry long-term.