Too Green

I've heard that it was a good year for pumpkins. Meagan grew more than 30 nice, orange pumpkins in her garden. My grandkids know that I never have much luck growing pumpkins, so they made my day when they brought me several from their abundance.

I plant pumpkins and various squash every year, but I feel blessed if even one of the plants produces anything but leaves. You see, my garden is just too shady to grow much besides tomatoes and green beans. That doesn't stop me from planting pumpkins and squash anyway, because their vines produce some good ground cover even if they don't give me any squash or pumpkins.

This year, I was thrilled to pick several zucchinis and yellow summer squash. The acorn squash I planted didn't grow at all, but I ended up with a prolific pumpkin vine that invaded the onions and green beans, climbed the tomato cages, and even scaled the wood fence that separates my garden from the neighbor's yard. Unfortunately, it was all vine and leaves, or so I thought.

It wasn't until mid-September that I noticed one sizeable, dark green pumpkin, mostly hidden under a huge, heart-shaped leaf.

I was excited to find it, but I was also quite sure that it wouldn't have time to ripen before our first hard freeze. I didn't have long to wait, as it turned out, because I ended up picking all of my garden produce in early October, right before our predicted week of single-digit low temperatures and not-so-expected foot of snow.

I brought the green pumpkin into the house, along with the orange ones that Meagan's kids had given me, to wait for more seasonable fall weather. Then, they all went out on the front porch.

When Halloween rolled around, my pumpkin was still mostly green, with a few new, orange streaks. I was happy to see that it provided some good contrast to the other pumpkins on my porch.

But the other day, as I was stepping outside to get the mail, I took a good look at the pumpkins, and I noticed that my pumpkin had turned orange! I didn't realize that pumpkins, like tomatoes, could continue to ripen after they were picked. Apparently, all they need is light.

Years ago, I used a pumpkin to illustrate a children's devotion. It went something like this: You and I are a lot like pumpkins. After we sat in the dirt for a while, God picked us at just the right time. Then he washed all the dirt (sin) off of us, scooped out everything that was yucky inside of us, and gave us a reason to smile. After he put those smiles on our faces, he put the light of Jesus inside of each of us, so we could shine brightly for the whole world to see.

My green pumpkin has made me think some more about God's work within us. It has occurred to me that, when we first come to know him, we are like my green pumpkin, still immature, still ripening, day by day. Some of us stay green for a very long time, like my pumpkin did, perhaps for lack of light. When we don't study God's Word and get together with other Christians, it's easy for us to remain "in the dark" about the things of God. He wants us to keep learning, and keep growing in our faith throughout our lives, so we can ripen into exactly what he wants us to be--mature Christians who love him more than anything else, and eagerly share his great love with the people around us.

We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding. Then the way you live will always honor and please the Lord, and your lives will produce every kind of good fruit. All the while, you will grow as you learn to know God better and better.

We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light. 

Colossians 1:9-12