Marc Estes

I thought it would be cool to let you have some clips from my new book, “WHAT NOW” that will not make it to the final book. In the chapter entitled, “Miracle Grow,” there was a cool story regarding the phenomenon of monster pumpkins to hit America.  The story below was a lead in to a section in the chapter.  Have fun while you read.  It won’t be in the book:A quirky phenomenon is taking root in rural America (actually, rural-everywhere) and it’s so exciting to horticulturists it has them buzzing around the farm every summer and fall like bees. Farmers armed with genetically juiced-up pumpkin seeds (dare we read engineered?), a months-long deluge of filtered water and a little blue fertilizer called “Miracle Gro®” are growing pumpkins the size of Honda Civics, all in the name of gamesmanship.  They plan for years in advance to win pumpkin growing contests as if they were raising thoroughbreds.  Pumpkin pedigrees matter.  From the time the female plant is pollinated, the baby pumpkin has a name. “Mighty Max.” “Gourdzilla.” “Big Bertha.” “Fertile Myrtle.”  They’re born for greatness and their name has to show it.

During the pumpkin’s youth, the farmer will “bond” with the fruit (I’m not making this up) by gently talking or singing to it, all the while reinforcing the pumpkin with words of affirmation because (duh), as everyone knows, pumpkins clearly need positive reinforcement to grow.  “You’re a good pumpkin, Hugo. If anyone can tip the scales, you can…remember, you come from a long line of champion pumpkins.”  As one pumpkin-doting website gingerly admonishes, “Don’t ever threaten your pumpkin or mention your doubts and disappointments within hearing range of the plant.  The mere mention of your disappointment of its growth rate can cause the growth to completely stop for a period of time.”  I digress.Come October, one of these behemoth beauties will win the coveted International Weighoff blue ribbon, everyone will celebrate—is that a banjo I hear in the background?—and begin making plans for next year.

In the past, these colossal gourds were widely heralded for tipping the scales at 1,000 pounds, but that number continues to grow. To date, the world record pumpkin is recorded to have reached 1,469 pounds (in 2005), but like spirited Olympians, with time, future contenders will top that number as well.  Their secret? Miracle Gro®.  This potent plant food is rich in chemicals and nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium young pumpkins need to bulk up.  It’s like a pumpkin steroid (but without all the stigma, shame, or embarrassing side-effects).  Although it’s completely legal and sold everywhere, Miracle Gro® has done for pumpkinry what BALCO did for baseball.

Everything that God has ever created was destined for growth—physical, that is.  But you and me, we’re different than the rest of creation.  We are created to grow both physically and spiritually.  It’s a vibrant, full and abundant miracle growth. Jesus himself said, “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.”  Unlike champion pumpkins, we don’t need added earthly substances to grow; we only need a hunger for what God has for us.  In fact, the absence of such amendments doesn’t make our spiritual growth any less miraculous but rather more so.  Our blueprint for spiritual growth is as alive as our blueprint for physical growth in our DNA but we have to feed our spirit properly.  Yes, God wants us to have healthy, growing natural bodies, but more importantly, He’s passionate about us growing our spiritual man.  God wants each of us to make spiritual growth, health and maturity one of the highest priorities of our life.