Most of us know the story behind the picture I've chosen for today's writing. Linus; in the pumpkin patch, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the "Great Pumpkin". Our friend, Linus reminds all of his friends during the day about the Great Pumpkin. As his friends scoff at him, Linus is undeterred and with his faith as his shield, he camps out in the pumping patch to await the arrival of The Great Pumpkin.
During his wait, several of his friends come to have some fun at his expense. But, Linus stands firm in his belief that if he continues to have faith, the Great Pumpkin will indeed fly low over the pumpkin patch and reward him with candy and treats.
Our hero is almost successful in maintaining his faith. It is only shaken for a moment. But, when the Great Pumpkin fails to appear, our young hero believes that it was his failure that caused the spirit to pass him by. His failure of faith. Linus believes that a momentary lapse was enough to deter the spirit of Halloween from appearing in that pumpkin patch.
But in the end, Linus regains his faith. The spirit failed to appear but, Linus' faith was unshaken in the end. That is what the story is about. A child can have faith and even though things don't turn out as he had hoped. His faith will carry him through any crisis to a positive conclusion.
I think that this is a lesson that more adults need to understand and remember. Faith is important. If traditions are the sign posts that keep us on course and help us keep our way on this road of life; faith is the cement that holds those sign posts upright in the ground.
Our faith doesn't have to just be limited to religion. Religious faith is probably the type of faith that most people are familiar with. It certainly is the type of faith that many people think of when they hear the word. But we can have faith in institutions besides Churches.
I have faith in my family. The strength of the love my wife and I share is a matter of faith. My children take my unconditional love on faith. I know that my real friends have faith in our friendship.
All of these things get us through life. We must have friends. The lucky or fortunate among us have friends and family. If we have faith in our relationships with them, we can draw a strength from that faith that no one can break. It will make us stronger.
Does all of this sound familiar? Have you heard the same themes before? If you go to Christian Churches, you will have heard the same things about faith in The Lord. (I mention The Christian Church because that is what I am familiar with. I can only assume that other beliefs are also faith based.) But, God does not have a monopoly on the faith of the world.
So, renew your faith in something terrestrial. Be a child again for just a little while. You will feel good. You may even forget your adult world problems for just a little while. Remember what it was like to be a child and to believe in "The Great Pumpkin" or "The Easter Bunny" or "Santa"or even "Peter Pan". They all live inside of us, even today.
I wish you all a very Happy Halloween. Enjoy seeing the excited faces of the children as they "Trick or Treat" at your door this evening. I'll see you all in the Pumpkin Patch.
As Always...
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