Halloween, Pumpkins, & Christianity

As I walked into the store yesterday, I noticed aisles were already full of Halloween and fall décor. Halloween and fall are indeed upon us. As I continued walking, I realized, “In many ways, Christians are like pumpkins. If God is the pumpkin carver, we are His masterpieces.” Let me explain further.

To carve a pumpkin, you must complete the following steps:

  1. Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin.

  2. Scrape out the insides of the pumpkin, and harvest the seeds for later.

  3. Take a knife, and cut out shell decorations.

  4. Insert a light in the pumpkin, and let it shine!

When thinking about the verse from Matthew 5:14, Christians are often encouraged to “let their light shine.” Does that happen immediately? While it may, walking with Christ is a lifelong journey and a process. In comparing ourselves to pumpkins, let us look at how God works to create masterpieces.

  1. We invite God into our hearts and His presence to come alive in us. He opens us up and sees  everything about us, including the good and bad.

  2. God begins His work of grace and His transforming power in our hearts. He turns our hearts to Him and frees us from anything that does not bring us life. He scrapes out the things that are not honoring to Him.

  3. In Christian circles, we talk about how transformation comes from the inside out. We notice people who radiate the love of Christ from their inner being. As we grow to know Christ, we begin to radiate His love to others. Like a pumpkin, these are carvings in the shell where people from the outside can see the transformed interior.

  4. Although this may happen at an earlier step, it is important to recognize the light we radiate as Christians. Carved pumpkins are designed to radiate the light from within. The inside is cleaned and made hospitable to the light, and its light extends far beyond the exterior of the shell.

In this season of all things spooky, we can set our eyes on one thing that is not – Jesus. Carving pumpkins can serve as a reminder that His work in us is a process of transformation and that includes the realm of our finances. And as we continue to walk with Him, His grace can do wonderful things.