Pumpkins

 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (II Corinthians 3:18) 

I seem to be stuck. It’s not a bad sort of stuck (I hope,) but a friend asked a question about what was wonderful or magical about September, and now I can’t seem to shake the idea. Part of the transformation of September is to get back into “life” after taking the summer off. One of the things I don’t like about summer is the idea everyone else seems to have that it’s a time to kick back, and September marks the time to go back to school, and therefore we all have to get back with the program. We transform back into real people in September.

The idea that came to mind as I responded to my friend is that we are like the pumpkins some folks grow. All summer long, they’re just growing, but in September, we start at least thinking about what they might transform into: Jack O’lanterns, tasty pies, or maybe, carriages.

We may smile at that last idea. After all, we aren’t Cinderella, and this isn’t a fairy story. But, perhaps we are pumpkins. At the very least, we are definitely in a time of transition. Scripture says that we are being transformed, not into pies or carriages, but into His temples and into His image.

The problem with being transformed, or even if transforming is that it can only happen if we become something we aren’t. If a pumpkin is left on the vine, it’s not transformed. It can only be transformed if something unnatural happens to it. And we can only be transformed if something supernatural happens to us – which may feel distinctly unnatural because it goes against our natures. We shouldn’t fool ourselves, and we should prepare ourselves because it’s promised to us.