By Pat Russell
I like all things pumpkin. I like the color of pumpkin, the shape of pumpkin, the smell of pumpkin, the season of pumpkin; but mostly I like the taste of pumpkin. Not sure where that came from. Maybe the fact that I grew up with a garden in my back yard and fall included a pumpkin harvest. Or perhaps it came from finishing up my chemo in the fall, and pumpkin became my comfort food. I remember a good friend of mine bringing me a couple of fresh baked pumpkin pies – yummmm.
Last spring I planted some pumpkin seeds in my garden but I forgot what they were. My husband and I had debates on whether the large, green orbs were pumpkin or watermelon until they began to turn a beautiful yellow-orange color. After they ripened, I luckily rescued them from the deer. Today I was baking and blending the “meat” for my freezer and for gifts. I was thinking, “I am so proud of my pumpkins! What fun to be able to process them and make goodies with them and give them to others. Aren’t I great!”
And then I remembered: I only planted the seeds. I did keep the weeds down around the vines, and put water on the garden, but I did not make them grow – no, I had nothing to do with that. In fact, I even forgot what I planted. Only an incredible Creator could take a seed and change it into a pumpkin that is lovely to behold, wonderful to smell, and delicious to eat, not to mention very healthy for humans.
I was reminded of Paul’s comments to the Corinthians about growing their spiritual lives. He said that he planted the spiritual seeds of Christ within the Corinthian community. Another guy named Apollos watered the seed, but GOD grew the seed into a community of people who were becoming the image of Christ – lovely to behold, wonderful to “smell” (we are the fragrance of Christ), and delicious to “eat” (Christ dwells within us). Not to mention that these people could impact the world for good, too.
I want to be God’s “pumpkin.” How can I grow into Christ’s likeness like a pumpkin seed grows into a pumpkin? It takes a daily, intentional partnership of being available for the seed of Christ to grow within me in various ways; but the sprouting, the growth, the wonder of a new life is God’s doing. And he loves to do just that! We may forget that the seed has been planted, but He won’t. He will do his miraculous work in us when we partner with him. We will become the image of Christ! We will become lovely to behold, wonderful to smell and delicious to eat, not to mention a blessing to the world around us.
So, as you take a bite of your pumpkin pie this holiday season, remember how it came to be. Here’s to the glory of pumpkins!
