It’s true! I am a self proclaimed hater of all things pumpkin spice. So much so that I own and proudly wear a T-shirt that says “I hate pumpkin spice, yeah I said it”. Every year as soon as pumpkin spice season rolls out – those who know my hate, start sending memes, sharing Facebook or Instagram posts, texting me and teasing me (all in good fun and I dish it out just as much!). Since it’s been several years since I originally shared the “why” behind my hate, I thought I’d give it a little reboot and reshare. So here you go!

Personally, I’ve never preferred the taste of pumpkin. And honestly, I don’t begrudge those who do. However, I will give them a hard time about it. My complaint about pumpkin spice (which by the way, has NO actual pumpkin flavoring in it at all!) is that it refuses to stay in its own lane. Pumpkin spice in coffee-no problem and go ahead and be in all the baked goods (pies, cakes, muffins, breads, etc.) you’d like. But seriously folks, do we really need pumpkin spice flavored cereal, crackers, candy or any of the other crazy stuff we’ve all seen walking through the grocery store? Case in point, I recently saw a display of pumpkin spice flavored apple cider. Come on pumpkin spice – leave apple cider alone, it doesn’t need your help!

For me it’s about staying in your lane. And, it’s not just pumpkin spice that is always trying to get itself into places where it doesn’t belong and be something it was never meant to be. We see this tendency all over our world today. So many marketing people out there are trying to make a name for their product or flavor by looking to discover the next big thing, but isn’t there a line where our attempts to make something good-better end up making it worse? Let’s take Oreo for example, they’ve stumbled on some good combinations of flavors, like mint and peanut butter, but some of the flavors I’ve seen – who wants carrot cake Oreos!? If you’ve got a hankering for carrot cake, just eat that and leave Oreos alone! As Christmas season approaches it will bring the onset of adding mint or peppermint mocha to pretty much every product imaginable. I admit, I do like a good peppermint mocha – but even that gets to be a bit much when it steps out of the coffee lane. 

It’s not just food and flavorings either – the idea that you can or should be something that you are not is so prevalent and in many cases extremely heartbreaking as well. I wonder what it is, in our culture or nature that makes us want to add into or change things that are already something else? What is it inside of us that makes us believe or think that the original is not good enough? Can we not just let things and people be who they are?

I’m all for bettering ourselves, we are all meant to grow and mature as we learn and age. Getting into shape, going back to school, changing careers, etc.. can all be good things as long as we are doing those things for the right reasons. We must remember the truth of Psalms 139:14– “You created my inward being and knit me together in my mother’s womb”. And in Genesis we read that after God created man, He “was very pleased”. Do we not believe that God made us the way He made us on purpose? Do we actually think that God messed us up or left something out? Why are we so intent on continually adding in or changing what He perfectly designed?

For example – I have zero rhythm, I mean like none. I actually have to put my hands in my pockets at church when there is clapping involved because it’s bad, real bad. So many friends have tried to teach me tricks to keep a beat – all have failed. It simply is not something inside of me. So for me to think I could ever be on a worship team or have any advice to share with worship leaders would be absolutely foolish. The apostle Paul says it well in 1 Corinthians 12, when he talks about us all being part of the same body, but having different functions, gifts and abilities. Not everyone is designed to be a foot, some of us are hands, others are eyes, etc… So why do we seek after what we are not and desire the gifts and abilities we were not given?

I wonder if at the core of our desire to be something or someone we are not- is a distrust or doubt of God? Maybe it’s just me, but I too often question what God is doing or asking me to do. I compare my calling with the calling He has given someone else. Convincing myself, He must love them more because of what they’ve been called to do. But God, in His infinite wisdom, made each and every one of us exactly as He wanted and has placed us in a unique position to meet and share His love with the people He has put around us. We are all called to reach different people! Who am I to question His authority and wisdom?! Feelings of inadequacy, jealousy, doubt and fear are all real, but we have to recognize and remember they are simply tools of our enemy. God is bigger! As Romans 8:28 tells us “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” God can and will use even our fears, failures and faults to accomplish His purpose. We just have to trust that He knew what He was doing when He created us!

Don’t be like pumpkin spice! Be who God made you to be!