The fruit always reveals the root

The older I get, the more I notice that there seems to be two loud camps competing for our attention.
One camp thrives on outrage. It encourages people to be angry, revolt, destroy, defame, and tear others down. Anger becomes the fuel, and conflict becomes the goal.
Then there is another camp made up of candidates and public figures who often feel they must latch onto whatever issue is generating the most emotion. Some genuinely believe what they’re saying. Others may simply recognize that outrage gets attention and attention wins elections. Either way, it can become easy to build a platform on people’s frustrations rather than on thoughtful solutions.
But then there are the people.
The people who get up every morning, go to work, pay their taxes, raise their children, care for their neighbors, worship God, and simply want to live in peace. They’re bombarded with fragmented information, half-truths, and competing narratives until it becomes difficult to know what’s true. Most aren’t looking for a fight. They’re simply looking for what is right.
Over the years, through life, studying history, and studying Scripture, I’ve come to recognize a pattern.
If I find myself in a crowd characterized by constant anger, hatred, defamation, fearmongering, violence, and endless name-calling, I know that’s not a camp I want to stay in.
Does that mean we ignore evil? Absolutely not.
We should stand for truth. We should defend the vulnerable. We should oppose injustice. But we should do so as the Lord leads us—not because we’ve been swept up in someone else’s anger. I’m not interested in being angry just to be angry, and I’m not interested in fighting simply for the sake of fighting. Every time I’ve done that in my own life, I’ve failed.
One lesson that has stayed with me is this:
You can tell what’s cooking by the ingredients going into the pot.
If the ingredients are anger, bitterness, lies, fear, hatred, pride, division, screaming, and contempt for others, something good isn’t going to come out of that pot.
But if the ingredients are wisdom, patience, humility, truth, careful evaluation, self-control, genuine love, and advocacy motivated by a sincere desire to do what’s right, then you’re likely to end up with something that nourishes people instead of poisoning them.
Today, it feels as though good people are increasingly being turned against one another. History repeatedly teaches us that when neighbors become enemies, evil finds fertile ground. Division weakens a nation far more effectively than any outside enemy ever could.
Healthy debate is essential. Honest disagreement is healthy. Challenging one another respectfully makes us better.
But abandoning character, morality, truth, and grace because we’re angry is a dangerous path.
The enemy has always worked through division and chaos. Scripture tells us that “God is not a God of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33), while James warns that “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (James 3:16). From the Garden of Eden until today, Satan’s strategy has remained remarkably consistent: divide, deceive, accuse, and destroy.
Jesus prayed something very different for His followers:
“That they may all be one… so that the world may believe that You have sent Me.” (John 17:21)
Unity does not mean agreement on every issue. It means refusing to let hatred replace love, refusing to let lies replace truth, and refusing to let anger become our master.
In a world constantly inviting us to choose a side, perhaps the better question is this:
What kind of fruit is this producing?
Because the fruit always reveals the root.
I don’t want to be known for outrage. I want to be known for truth spoken in love, courage without hatred, conviction without cruelty, and faith that trusts God more than fear.
Those are the ingredients worth putting into the pot.