The other day I was looking at some beautiful big pumpkins. Not the perfect ones… no, the old fashion ones that have crooked stems and take on the look of a wrinkled old face even before anyone carves them.  I thought to myself, I would love to have these at my front door, to welcome friends and to welcome the  Fall season.

But there was a problem, I live on the third floor and if I bought those big beautiful pumpkins I would have to carry those heavy things up three flights of stairs.

Sometimes I am like that in my spiritual life too, wanting the final product but not wanting to do the heavy lifting to get there. Often, we have to be willing to work through the hard stuff to get to the spiritual  payoff.

Father, help me to know when it is best to let it go…and when it is best to do the hard work to get to the final product with you. And since you know how stubborn I can be, please help me recognize when I’m deciding for myself, and when I am truly following YOUR lead.  AMEN