Pumpkin Scare

Pumpkin scare

A few months ago my Spicy Italian Meatball, Jemma Lynn, broke down in tears. There she sat, distraught and trembling in front of her barbies, and me. As the tears poured down her sweet round cheeks, a confession poured from her lips. “Mommy, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to take them, but I was playing with these Polly Pockets and they were so fun and I took them.” Come to find out she had stolen a handful of Polly Pockets from our new friends house. She sobbed and sobbed and we searched and searched for every tiny toy she had taken. Eventually she said, “It hurts SO bad, it literally feels like my heart is actually broken.” That’s when I said to her, “Jemma that is actually a GOOD thing. That’s Gods plan to help us to NEVER want to do that same sin again. He allows our hearts to FEEL the weight of our choices so that it helps us to REPENT and walk out continued repentance.” 

Another INCREDIBLE thing God does is wash us clean! The very INSTANT we ask Him for forgiveness He faithfully wipes our slate clean and gives us a fresh start. He covers us with the blood of Jesus and He sees us made NEW.  

Hope ANEW! 

The hurt we feel in our hearts is godly sorrow. It is a reminder of the brokenness that sin brings and it helps guide us in wisdom to continue to walk out repentance in our lives. Godly sorrow is different than shame. Shame says “I AM bad.” Godly sorrow says, “What I DID took me away from the heart of God. I never want distance between God and I. I don’t want THAT sin more than I want GOD!” 

After we talked, I remembered a time in my own childhood when I had...

STOLEN!! Gasp!! Oomph!! That still knocks me in my little child-like gut remembering that. 

So I shared with Jemma and I want to share with YOU about a story from my childhood. A time when a little pumpkin scared me straight. 

As a child, I had a LOVE for pumpkins. I still love them now. But as a child, I just LOVED pumpkins. One fall day, the air was crisp and cool and this bright orange color peeking out from the green of the garden across the back of my neighbors yard caught my eye. I LOVED pumpkins. Remember? 🤣🤦🏽‍♀️Well, that LOVE for pumpkins turned into and LUST for pumpkins that led to GREED that led to STEALING. Yes, I snuck over into my neighbors garden pumpkin patch and I stole one of her beautiful little pumpkins. I took it up to my front porch and before long my Mom found me playing with “my” pumpkin. “Where did you get that?” I remember the breath knocked out of me and I don’t recall if I lied or froze. But, eventually, the truth poured out of my little mouth like it did out of Jemma’s lips too. “I took the pumpkin from the neighbor!” 

To my utter disbelief, my Mom MADE me go apologize to my neighbors face AND give the pumpkin back. With tears streaming down my face, and fear and sorrow filling my heart, I trotted over, rang her doorbell, and shared the truth. That experience was SO hard for me. I will NEVER forget how AWFUL I felt. But guess what?! I never, ever, EVER stole anything ever again!! Why?! Because I NEVER wanted to feel that awful remorse ever again. I knew I had sinned not just against the neighbor, but against God. God used the godly sorrow to produce a fruit of righteousness within my soul. Too bad He didn’t use it to produce a crop of pumpkins 🎃🤣because now you know how much I’d have loved that! Ha! Seriously though, how thankful I am for the godly sorrow God allows in our hearts to TEACH us which way to go! 2 Corinthians 7:10 says, "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death." I’m SO thankful for HIS discipline in my life as well as the discipline of a wise and loving mom! As Proverbs 3:12 says, “For the LORD disciplines those He loves, as a father, the son he delights in.” I'm so thankful for the undeserved love of God.

If you are currently stuck in a cycle of sin, I encourage you to take a moment and ask God to fill your heart with Godly sorrow! Because godly sorrow LEADS to REPENTANCE and repentance is a BEAUTIFUL place to be, friend. Have you allowed God to search your heart recently? Let’s take today to pray He would do just that! Let’s TURN from sin and choose to forge new paths of righteousness, joy and peace by walking out REPENTANCE! A heart YIELDED to our Maker rather than ourselves! 

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Hebrews 3:15 As has just been said, "Today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in your rebellion."