See the little pumpkin forming at the lower end of the blossom. I love pumpkins because they are both practical and beautiful.

It’s exciting to see the little orange flower emerge to brightly announce the pumpkin’s arrival.

I have plans to use the pumpkins for decoration and delish. My favorite things serve as both practical and beautiful.

But . . . the SQUASH BUGS found the pumpkins before I found them.

 

Disappointingly they  claimed my longed for pumpkins.

All those decoration and delish plans are destroyed along with my pumpkin patch.

Well, I don’t know about you . . .  but, I grow weary when I work hard to accomplish something good and it turns into a flop.  Everything seems to be on course, I plant the seeds and water them . . . I think it is going to be great . . . then SQUASH BUGS come.

 “Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:9 NIV  

The power to keep on keeping on even when I just want to quit – whatever project I’m doing – comes from knowing that there is a greater power working in my midst. If I am doing that which blesses Him, then He will take care of the “fruit”.

“I planted, Apollos watered, but G0d [all the while] was making it grow and He gave the increase.” 1 Corinthians 3:6 AMP

So there’s another part to my pumpkin story that, in a very cool way, parallels this scripture. It’s compost . . . pumpkins began to grow up in my compost pile! All the while He was making it grow “and He gave the increase.”

The fruit may not grow where you or I intend, but if we continue planting the “seeds” which God desires us to plant, the fruit will eventually grow.  We just may be surprised where it shows up.