The Pumpkin
“…Outside
were conflicts, inside were fears.
Nevertheless God, who
comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus” (2 Corinthians 7:5-6)
We often had lunch
with my mother in the past couple of years
especially after the weekly Bible studies on
Thursday mornings at her skilled nursing facility,
sharing Psalms for a long time and then the Book of
Acts. A couple of weeks ago, it was the Thursday
after the funeral of my father-in-law. My mother
was not doing well and had recently been unable to
sit in a wheelchair to attend the studies. As I
walked to the reception station to order guest
lunches for my wife, Gen, and me, I noted that the
receptionist on duty was the one who carries a New
Testament with her. She studied my face and asked
how I was doing. I told her a little about the
impact of the funeral that had occurred the day
before, and how those feelings were compounded by
the impending loss of my mother. My mother was
“slipping” and as it turned out, she would pass on,
just a few days later.
The receptionist
nodded and replied that, “Sometimes
life is like being a passenger in an airplane. We
have a tiny window that doesn’t allow us to see much
of the world, and events occur that make it seem
like we are flying in the middle of a cloud and
can’t see anything at all. The pilot is flying on
instruments and all we can do is drink the beverage
supplied by the stewardess, glance at the other
passengers, and trust that the pilot’s
interpretation of the instruments will get us and
those we love safely to our destination.”
What a wonderful
“sermon-in-a-second” that was, and it had a very
calming effect right at the moment. God speaks to
us through His Word, by His Spirit, and in the
events and people around us. And note that it
doesn’t matter if you’re the receptionist in a
nursing home, the pastor of a congregation or the
admiral of a fleet, God has words and actions
designed especially for you. The receptionist
indeed had timely words of comfort, and no doubt she
does the same for others who come her way.
We have received
many emails, cards and phone calls that have brought
us comfort, such as this one: “We
trust that in this season of loss and pain, yet
there is rejoicing that our loving Savior is being
gracious to you. What tremendous comfort we have,
knowing the One in which salvation is found. We
love you both…” How wonderful and we say
“thank You” to God for each and every one who has
been so kind to us.
It’s important for
us all to remember that a card, a note, a simple
phone call, can work wonders for the person who is
suffering loss. That was true for the Apostle
Paul. He said, “indeed,
when we came to Macedonia, our flesh had no rest,
but we were troubled on every side. Outside were
conflicts, inside were fears…” (2 Corinthians
7:5). This was a man who had been in the ministry
for many years, but he was “troubled”
at the “conflicts”
he and his companions had been encountering, which
generated “fears”
inside, not only in his friends, but also within
Paul himself. There are many “hints” in Paul’s
writings that he was very human, often needing the
help of people not unlike you.
And, of course,
God DOES use people just like that receptionist to
help those in this world. Paul needed help and God
sent Titus, as we see in our Scripture for today,
which says: “God, who
comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of
Titus…” (2 Corinthians 7:6). “Downcast”
in that verse is the Greek “kataballo,”
which literally is “cast
down,” “descend,”
or “fall.” Paul’s
emotions were down – he was depressed. It can
happen to everyone in humanity. Yet God is here and
He sends people to help.
While we had lunch
in my Mother’s room, Grace wheeled in to visit. She
has been the answer to our prayer that God would
send my Mother, Adele, a friend at the nursing
home. Grace is our dear friend, as well, and she
handed me a copy of an interesting email.
There is a custom
in many “Western” nations, that during the Fall
harvest, large orange-colored vegetables called
“pumpkins” have “faces” carved into them. Lit
candles are placed inside the carved pumpkins. Some
Christians object to the practice, but the email
brought comforting smiles. It said, “From
one pumpkin to another: A woman was asked by a
co-worker, ‘What is it like to be a Christian?’ She
replied, ‘It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you
up from the ground of the pumpkin patch, brings you
in, and washes all the dirt off you. Then He cuts
off the top and cleans out all the yucky stuff. He
removes seeds of doubt, hate and greed. Then He
carves you a new, smiling face and puts His light
inside of you to shine for all the world to see.’”
My Mother, in
reality “our” mother (for she regarded my wife,
Genevieve, as a daughter, not an “in-law”) has now
gone to be with the Lord, and it feels like more
carving has been done on the “pumpkin” of our
lives. To be “carved” such a manner is a laborious,
painful experience, but it seems to describe what
happens to those who trust in the Lord. It is hard
for everyone, but those who trust in the Lord can
recognize His hand of love in the midst of
difficulties. We must ask: what would happen to the
pumpkin if it was simply left alone? - It would
remain dirty, eventually to rot and be devoured by
predators. But God has indeed taken us up, washed
us in the blood of the Lamb, His Son, and a process
has been commenced in which doubt, hate, fear and
greed are being removed from us. We are given a
smile inside that is greater than our circumstances,
reflecting the heart and life of Christ, who shines
within our very souls.
God is our
Comforter and if someone comforts you today, thank
them, for they have performed the function assigned,
even if they don’t know it was God who sent them.
But also thank God, for He is the Pilot of your life
and theirs. He will fly us to the place of His
safety and He can see through the cloud that
obscures our understanding. He is the Author of the
smile we are given and He enables us to become “the
light of the world” (Matthew 5:14) to those
who, for whatever reason, have no light right now.
Paul needed
comfort and God provided Titus. All comfort is
ultimately from Christ (2 Corinthians 1:5), but it
is given through people, so “that
we may be able to comfort those who are in any
trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves
are comforted by God” (2 Corinthians 1:4).
You are being healed to be a healer – in Him! Will
you hear God’s call?
Father, I often do
not understand life, but I know You are there and
You love me. Thank You for those You send to help
us. Let the circumstances of my life prepare and
enable me to provide Your comfort to others who are
in need. In Jesus Name. Amen.
