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Coco Calling No. 123 - The Story of my Owner and his Pumpkin

Writer's picture: CocoCoco


My owner is a gardener. He likes to grow all kinds of weird and wonderful produce. This year, he built a new raised bed, and then he filled it up with over 3000 litres of compost. Finally, he planted some pumpkins and squashes in it, which he continued to feed and water all through the Summer.


His plants grew incredibly well. It wasn’t long before the surface of the raised bed had disappeared below a riot of green leaves and stalks. In fact, it was such a jungle, that he didn’t know what lay beneath, -that is until last week when the foliage started to die back. It was then that my owner climbed onto the bed, full of anticipation. He parted some of the leaves, and discovered that underneath, there was………..absolutely nothing! No pumpkins, no squashes, -no nothing!


He’d been standing there for a few moments, feeling utterly disappointed, when something orange-coloured caught his eye some distance away in a nettle patch. He jumped down, walked across and strode deep in the nettles, ignoring the stings he was receiving along the way. And there, far away from where the plant had been growing in the raised bed, sat the most enormous orange pumpkin. In fact, some 7 stone of pumpkin which took an almighty amount of shifting. And not only the pumpkin, but half a dozen beautifully formed winter squashes.



And so my owner came to learn an important lesson. Because you can work and toil through life, but you can’t always see the fruits of your labours. And sometimes we can feel despair or frustration, or even a sense of worthlessness, when in fact, all the time, we’re getting great results. It’s just that we can’t always see it. It must be like that for so many schoolteachers, doctors, politicians and vicars. And it’s probably like that for a great many Christians too. Every kind act; every good deed. Every time you stop to listen or place a coin in a charity box, you are making a difference, and making the world that little bit better than it was before. Even when you’re not aware of it…..


“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” (John 15:1-2)


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