I was driving along a local Cape Cod road recently on a crisp, fall day… when I saw a gorgeous pumpkin patch on the front lawn of a church nearby. I stopped my car and got out to admire the spectacular sight.

The colors were brilliant… orange, white, green… they were all different sizes and shapes…big ones… small ones… tall ones… stocky ones. Some pumpkins had dings on them… some had broken stems… but that didn’t matter. The important thing was that they all worked together to make a glorious picture.

As I stood there soaking up my surroundings, I thought about our country… and how diverse it is…just like the pumpkin patch. We are a nation of many different races, religions, creeds, shapes, sizes…all living together.

When pumpkins are carved and candles placed inside, each one has a beautiful warm light that embraces us in its glow.

We also have a light within us, just like the pumpkins. When God carved each one of us, He gave us all a light to shine.

In Luke 8:16, Jesus said, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

How do we bring light to a world in so much darkness? One person at a time.

As Kathy Triccoli so beautifully sings, “Carry your candle…Seek out the hopeless…the tired…the worn…Hold out your candle…for all to see it…Take you candle, and go light your world.”

This Halloween when we light our pumpkins, may we be reminded to let the Light of Jesus within us shine before men.