Under Construction: Lessons From a Pumpkin PatchSample

The Pumpkin

One fall, my son planted a pumpkin seed. After watering it one day, I asked him, “What does it look like?" He answered, “It looks like a pumpkin that is growing!”

In other words, it didn’t look like a full-grown pumpkin yet, but it didn't look like "nothing." It looked like something that was in progress, changing, and growing.

What a good reminder when we are tempted to grow discouraged or disappointed in ourselves or others: We are Christ-followers who are growing! He does the growth and work within His children. But just like the pumpkin seed, it does not happen overnight. One thing we can be certain of is that He is faithful. Let’s keep our eyes on Him, allowing Him to do the work in us and in one another.

Although He is faithful, that does not mean He is fast. In fact, throughout the Bible, we never see Him rush His people’s growth, development, or change. Rather, we see the opposite. This ought to encourage us in our times of "construction" when we are deeply frustrated over how slowly we (or others) seem to be growing.

One year, as I sat in my doctor's office discussing a lingering illness, she said, "As long as there is improvement, however slow it may be, it's ok."

She wasn’t concerned about the speed but about the direction. In other words, as long as there is progress, don't worry about the timetable. What a life - and spiritual - principle as well. Sometimes, progress, growth, and change are slow. Sometimes, it’s a mere crawl.

The speed does not matter. The direction, however, does.