Tis the season for pumpkin patches. Many people are a quest for the perfect pumpkin to take it home and decorate. For most, that perfect pumpkin is not too big or small, round, symmetrical and have little or no defects.
Others will seek uniqueness in the pumpkin they claim. Either way, there are plenty of options.
Pumpkins grow in different climates, on different vines and in different regions. They do not receive equal amounts of nutrients, amount of sunlight, or water. They develop different characteristics including bumpy or smooth skin or thick or thin ribs Most are orange; yet a few are green or white. They are also different sizes and shapes.
Like pumpkins, people grow differently, come from different environments and possess different resources. No one is immune to flaws, regardless of the soil in which they are planted.
Soon or later, everyone goes under the knife of this world. Every day, people face something or someone trying to carve influence into their shells. Our eyes are shaped by shown images that can pull us one direction or the other. An aroma is designed to point our noses into its direction. Both images and aromas can sculpt a smile or a frown into our mouth. Most of the time, can take control of the knife and shape our reactions to the world's carving tools despite the marks they leave on our flesh.
How about the carving tools that are out of our control? There are circumstances that take from us whether we want them to or not. Some people were born with health conditions that effected physical or mental development. Others are touched by elements later in life.
Life can be toxic for everyone. Our environment possess free radicals that lead to cell degeneration that can cause aging or even cancer. There is no doubt that physical appearance leads to labels. Even people who are blessed with little or no physical defect have something to hide. Life gives all of us scars whether they are physical, physiological or mental. No one is perfect.
I guess that is why makeup is popular. I am not just talking about physical makeup that we apply to our skin, but the emotional type where we pretend to be okay when we are not. The makeup that conceal secrets and sinful pasts. It like people who paint the outside of the pumpkin, so they do not have to mess with the goo on the inside. No amount of humor, heart makeup or face paint will repair the damage this life causes us because makeup is temporary. True beautiful is find in an hallow pumpkin.
When we let Jesus in our hearts, God begin to work inside of us. He begins to scoop out the seeds the world sows, remove the goop of toxic thoughts and clogging sinew in the heart. This process can be messy and frustrating. It can left many feeling hollow inside and useless.
That is why it is so important to remember God was a purpose in this. By removing the world's fruit within us, he is making room for his light to live. He was no intention of leaving us hollow. He wants to give us the Holy Spirit to aid our journey of faith. He wants to empower us to be the vessel of his light to the darkness.
"The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5
God may not be the cause of our trails or our scars. With his light are not in vain, though, because God put them to use. The parts of our flesh that are flawed God's light fills up and shine through. If we did not have flaws or were untouched by the world's carving tools, God's light would not shine through us for the world to see. If we refuse to take the risk of light up the the dark, God's light loses its purpose and we are left as just another person in the world. Our blemishes are seen and not our light's powered by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 8:16, "No one, after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light."
It can be very scary to let God's shine. We risk exposing the damage life's design carves out for us. But God wants his children to take comfort in the power of his light. He is the beacon for the lost, the torch for any journey of faith and the spark for those who doubt.
The image God's light shows is scary beautiful. Flaws are not accepted by society. But God may allow it to be that way for a reason. He was a way of transform flaws into a beautiful artwork. I testify to this. You see...
Little Sweet Pumpkins are my favorite. They remind me of God's ability to use my flawed flesh to create new life. I cannot put in words the awe I was in when I saw my first born for the first time. My children's births were brutal on my flesh in different ways; however, holding them for the first time felt like holding the image of God-perfection. It may have been that I could not understand how something so beautiful came out of me or maybe it was the fact that they were untouched by the world and held an innocence that I had lost living in this world. Either way, I was determined to be the best mom and protect them for darkness's toxicity.
But Life....
It did not take long for my perfect pumpkins to show me that how far I was from flawless. As they grew, I was ashamed of inabilities to be the perfect mom through their struggles. They were and are four of the strongest-willed children I have ever known. The reality is that they it only took a few years for them to teach me they were not perfect either. They each come with their unique challenges and obstacles, for sure. Seasons changes and the design of my family's obstacle course changes with it.
That is why I will shout, "Perfectionism is overrated!"
I am certain that you have heard it at least once. If you are like me, raising pumpkins, then you need to heard this weekly or daily (in rough seasons). Today, I can, honestly, say that I am thankful for God showing me that I was not the perfect mom; I am, however, their chosen mom. The one chosen by God to prepare them to shine his light.
Please know that we, all, have scars; but rest assured that we have a design that God wants to shine through. It is through those scars that are story are designed It is through those designs that he shine his light the brightest.
Matthew 5:16 states:
"In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven."
Your light within may be dull and the design frightening for now; still, shine it. There are people out in the world who are working so hard to conceal their flaws. They are wearing masks and costumes as they knock on doors begging for the world's treats to consume the sweet happiness they promise . Yet, unaware of the tricks they are pulling themselves through. They need the Jack and Jill o' lanterns to show them a different way.
His loving light was made people like us. People who despite hurting shows they are ready to help others heal. People who dare to expose their scars to show others imperfect is normal. People who possess God's light to show that God doesn't require complete virtue to enter a person's heart. People who show how God can take what seems empty and give it purpose. People who make themselves available for God to separate the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:4 says, "And God saw that the light was good. God separated the light from the darkness."
We must ask ourselves- are we going to let our suffering go down in vain or are we going to let Jesus in and make room for his light to spark?
This light of mine, I am going to let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine. Let it shine ✨
Comments