Pumpkins on porches and rust-colored leaves falling from the trees are signs that autumn has arrived.

Most pumpkins displayed are orange; but these gourd-like squash come in varieties of dark green, pale green, orange-yellow, white, red and gray. You’ll find them in different shapes and sizes, but all of them have a thick shell with creases on the outside and seeds and pulp on the inside.

Pumpkins are grown on every continent, with the exception of Antarctica. Though the origin of pumpkins is not definitively known, it’s thought they originated in North America, possibly in Mexico, where pumpkin-related seeds believed to be thousands of years old have been discovered.

The word pumpkin comes from the Greek word meaning “large melon.” The French and British adapted the word, but American colonists gave the word its present pronunciation.

Have you ever thought about how being a Christian can be compared to being a pumpkin? Is there something we can learn from the “parable of the pumpkin”?

God picks up each of us from the field and washes all the dirt off of us. As the Sunday School song says,“Red, and yellow, black and white, we are each precious in his sight.” We are in the world, but no longer of the world. Evil outside influences of our former life must be cleaned up. Old things are passed away and all things are become new.

The outside is what people see, but the inside is like our soul or our heart. So He scoops out all the yucky stuff, the wrong things inside of us. God removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed and lying, any kind of sin.

But He doesn’t leave us empty and hollow. He places seeds of faith, hope and love. He puts His light inside of us to shine for all the world to see. The change inside of us then shows on the new smile He carves on our faces.

As Christians, we become part of the True Vine. Jesus said of Himself, “I am the true vine” (John 15:1). He tells us to, “Let your light so shine before men that they may be able to see your good works and glorify your Father, who is in heaven.”

Do you have the light of Jesus in you? Let Him come into your heart. He loves you very much.

Admit that you are a sinner. “All have sinned” (Romans 3:23).

Believe that Jesus Christ died for your sins and forgives you. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Confess Jesus is your Lord and Savior. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins” (1 John 1:9).

Like the pumpkin, God changes us from the inside out. You will never be the same with Jesus inside.

– Jan White is an award-winning columnist. She can be reached at jwhite@andycable.com.