Pumpkins, Jack o Lanterns, and Spiritual Lessons

Last weekend, while I was at Ladies' Retreat, Joshua and the boys cleaned out pumpkins and carved jack o lanterns. The boys had so much fun cleaning their pumpkins out. Of course Joshua and Justin cleaned out most of Logan's pumpkin. I was so upset with myself for not getting a picture of Justin's before he took it home to his mom's house. Here's some pictures of Logan's.

A couple of Sundays ago, Miss Mikki had a pumpkin patch during ETC time for the 4 and 5 year olds. They got to decorate a pumpkin and eat cookies. She told them how she was like that pumpkin. She was pretty on the outside. Then she open up the pumpkin and show the kids the pulp and seeds. She told them she was yucky on the inside just like the pumpkin. She also told them how Jesus came into her heart and cleaned up her insides just like we do with pumpkins. They story has really stuck with Logan. He's brought it up several times since then. He told me, "Mommy, Miss Mikki loves just like Jesus does even though I'm yucky on the inside." It brings tears to my eyes to watch the faithfulness of God to answer my prayers to draw Logan to Himself. Earlier today he told a lie and we were talking about how it made him feel and how I felt about the lie. He looked at his jack o lantern on the kitchen table that's now growing fuzzy mold and told me with tears running down his cheeks, "I look like that on the inside but you and Jesus still love me. I'm sorry Mommy. I don't want to be yucky on the inside."