A Tale of Two Pumpkins

 

" I am the vine, ye are the branches:  He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."  John 15:5

Summer before last I decided to grow pumpkins to decorate the church alter come fall.   French pumpkins, no less.  I had a whole harvest theme in mind.  That was the same summer that I got the bright idea to plant everything really close together, my theory being that there would be less room for weeds, so I could spend less time working out in the hot sun.  (Of course this ended up being an idiotic plan and I had to spend a summer listening to my husband say 'I told you so').

But my french pumpkins thrived...never had I seen such a vibrant orange and I loved the squat shape.  The pumpkin vine took over the whole garden, and it was hard to see where to walk when I ventured out with my vegetable ,to pick a tomato or two.  So of course,  I ended up stepping on one of the pumpkin branches, ripping it partway off the vine.  I didn't completely sever the branch from the vine, but it was only hanging by a few threads. 

When it was harvest time, I had the most beautiful french pumpkins, glossy and shiny and the church alter looked lovely.  I also used the pumpkins to decorate the restaurant at my son's wedding rehearsal supper.  That is, I was able to use all but the one pumpkin that was partially severed from the vine.  It was still a pumpkin alright, round and orange...but it looked pockmarked with disease, prone to some kind of mold.  Whatever benefits the other pumpkins received from staying attached to the vine, this one clearly lost out on.

When I thought about John 15:5,  I thought it was a warning to me about living in such a way that I was not abiding in Him...living severed from the Vine.  I never thought about living in a way that I was only partially attached.  Abiding most of the time in Him, but not all of the time.

Sadly, that is often the case.  Kind of sort of attached, but not completely.  The diseased pumpkin illustrated for me the danger of being halfheartedly attached to the Vine.  At the end of my life I would maybe resemble a Christian, my life might have the shape of a Christian, but cut a slice open anywhere and you will see the spores and mildew of spoil. 

Luke 8:14 reads, "And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."

What causes me to not abide in Him?  To not spend time in church worshiping Him, reading my Bible or praying to Him?  Being choked with the cares...but also with the riches and pleasures of this life.  When I am overwhelmed with burdens I can't wait to abide in Christ and tell Him my troubles.  But what about those riches and pleasures?  Good things in and of themselves, until THEY become my priority instead of HIM.  Those are the things that often sever my branch from the Vine.

How about you?  Are you abiding in Him with a whole heart, or only half heartedly abiding because you are distracted by the cares, riches and pleasures of life.  Are you abiding in Christ so that the fruit of your life will be brought to perfection?

In other words, which pumpkin will your life resemble?  DLB