Extreme Joy

Extreme Joy

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Pumpkin Patch Photos

"I'll go with you, but I'm not going to get my picture taken this time." 

Year after year we we would take a family trip to the mountains to get apples, mountain cabbage and homemade jellies. The highlight of the trip was going to the pumpkin patch to pick out the pumpkin that would grace our front porch. I too wanted a pumpkin, but the real reason I planned this little excursion was to get some cute pictures of  my daughter. With camera in hand I would coax my daughter into the  middle of the pumpkins for a photo shoot. When she was small, it wasn't too difficult because she would gladly get in the middle of the patch searching for the perfect pumpkin. As she got older, it was more difficult and then came the year she was a freshman in college when she adamantly said, "I'll go with you, but I am not going to get my picture taken this time." As always, I made sure she did.

I loved going back over the years to see how much she had grown and changed. The bangs and pony-tail gave way to a more teenage look of long hair with no bangs. The braces came and went, and the glasses that were so adorable on her as a child disappeared soon after the braces. Each year was a noticeable change in the the appearance of my daughter as she grew into a lovely young woman.

I have often thought what changes God would see if He took a yearly picture of me -- same time, same place. Would He see a spiritual growth in me? Would I be growing in grace and knowledge, obedience and trust? Or would I try to get out of my spiritual evaluation by telling Him, "I'll go with you, but I'm not going to get my picture taken this time."

I want to go with Him and allow Him to search my heart and check my spiritual growth chart. But more than anything, I want Him to take my picture and be able to say "She's looking more and more like her Abba, Daddy every day."

Lord, thank you that You want me to go with You, spend time with You, and let You search my heart. I don't want to stay like I am, but I want to be more like You. So much like You that when others see me, they will see a reflection of You, my Father. 


11 comments:

  1. Wonderful post, Beth! Very thought-provoking. Sounds like a good article to me!

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  2. Great post Beth! Excuse me now while I go put on my steel-toed shoes. Ouch! :)

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  3. I enjoyed reading your post today, Beth! So true! I hope that God notices changes in me each day, as well. For the better. Thanks for sharing!

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  4. This is great! Thank you

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  5. Thanks Girls. Appreciate your encouragement!
    Beth

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  6. Thanks Beth. I loved the analogy. I'm proud of you Roomie.

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  7. Beth,
    Loved your post about the pumpkin patch and how you compared it to our spiritual growth. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Beth, your smile reflects the love of God each time I see you.

    Thanks for this post. It reminds me that like a loving parent, God is totting a camera to capture us in snapshots in our spiritual growth. Now, I need to start smiling even when life is not a fulfilling pumpkin patch because like you, I want to be accused of looking more and more like our amazing Abba.

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  9. Hey Beth
    i did not know you had this blog until today.Nov 1. I enjoyed reading it and will be visiting it more i am sure. While reading it i really had a desire to see some of those pictures yall took thru the years. thanks for doing what you do.

    Tim Wilder

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  10. What a great reminder of our responsibility as His children. Thank you!

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  11. Nice side bars. I still can't figure out how to do this on my blog, but that's OK. I usually have too much to write it in column form. So send us a picture of your Miss Pumpkin.

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