My sister gave me a small unidentified plant this spring. She found it growing in her compost bin and wanted to share the excitement of discovering its identity.

I planted it in my raised garden bed and over the weeks, I watched it grow from a few leaves into a mature plant. It crept from where it was initially planted to the adjacent beds and beyond.

While watering one morning, I found a fist-sized fruit hanging from the stem. It had been hidden under the large leaves that draped over the edge of the beds. I immediately called my sister to report the discovery, and after some discussion, we agreed the plant must be a squash. But after a few weeks, the shape of the squash changed from oblong to round and stripes began to form running from one end to the other. I called my sister again; this time we were certain we had discovered the plant’s true identity. It has to be a watermelon. After all, she had added several watermelon rinds and seeds to the compost pile. But with the passing weeks, the yellow stripes turned orange and the shape transformed yet again. This time, I didn’t call my sister. I waited another week and yep, it’s a pumpkin!

I did send her a photo of this recent transformation, and she agrees, it’s a pumpkin. She remembered she had placed the mushy pumpkin insides in the compost bin. So, we are confident – no really, it is a pumpkin. And I’m pleased to report that my little gourd is growing quite nicely and should be ready to decorate my porch this Fall.

Yesterday, I was sitting in the garden. I couldn’t help but think about the journey of the pumpkin and how similar it was to the trek of change I’ve experienced over my 60+ years.

Time brings change and if we allow it, it will move each of us from how we define ourselves to more closely align with the identity God created us to be.

As a young woman, I was fearless and ready to take over my world. Then life presented its challenges, and how I saw myself shifted. With each subsequent decade, my purpose and value continued to be refined. My focus changed from accomplishing more, achieving more, and becoming more to being present, available, less me and more others. Now, I still face change and will continue to do so until I take my final breath but I am growing more comfortable in the constant shift that comes with maturing.

Do you have a gourd hidden somewhere in your soul? A part of you that continues to grow, change, and mature. Perhaps you’ve ignored it as you go about your busy day. Maybe you’ve briefly caught a glimpse of God’s direction for your life but you fear the change required to fully embrace his calling. I want to encourage you, there is no better purpose than the one given by your Father. I pray that today, you can hear his gentle voice directing you toward his vision for the rest of your life. And please understand he will be with you every step of the way.

As I close this piece, I wanted to share some interesting information. I recently learned that squashes, melons, and pumpkins are all part of the Cucurbitaceae family ⁽¹⁾. They all share the same roots and family of origin. And perhaps it is the same with us. We spend so much time on what we do, how much we do it, and the outcome but maybe the most important thing is what family we belong to and where we plant our roots. True identity comes from our Father and after 60ish years of living and a lot of trying, I am ready to accept that.

Be blessed his BeLOVED,

⁽¹⁾ Wikipedia, Cucurbitaceae – Wikipedia