Christians and Halloween?

Today is Halloween--the holiday during which Christian families fall into one of two categories: the ones who celebrate/participate, and the ones who don't. Growing up in a Christian household, we never celebrated Halloween. Ever. I never dressed up in a Halloween costume, never decorated my house with cotton cobwebs, and I've never in my life gone trick-or-treating. For the most part, we ignored the holiday altogether. And, as a kid, I hated it. It seemed that all of my friends (even in a Christian school!) got to pick out costumes, parade through their neighborhoods, and arrive home with a pillowcase full of candy. I mean, really, what kid wouldn't want that? I always knew that I would definitely celebrate Halloween when I had my own kids!

When I got older, I moved out of my parents' house, and I did participate in the festivities! Throughout college, I dressed up in my very first Halloween costumes, carved pumpkins with my roommates, and passed out candy to local trick-or-treaters. It was fun, although I always felt the teensiest little guilt complex about the whole thing.

After Eric and I got married, we celebrated Halloween to the extent that we bought about 20 bags of candy and passed it all out to the millions of trick-or-treaters who visited our neighborhood. Halloween was/is the day before our anniversary, so we never put much effort into it because we usually had better plans for the rest of the week. Eventually, we bought our current home, and since it sits at the end of a quiet, dead-end street (positioned on the side of a mountain), we haven't had much of an opportunity to worry about whether or not to pass out candy to trick-or-treaters because there are none. Still, I figured that our future children would be darling in their Halloween costumes!

Then, we had kids. Nathaniel's first Halloween rolled around when he was only three months old. I asked Eric if he wanted to dress up our baby, and surprisingly, he was the one who declined. Although he'd always celebrated as a kid, he said that he didn't like the "scariness" of Halloween, nor did he want our kid(s) visiting strangers' houses for candy. Since I still had that nagging guilt about celebrating myself, this was the single reason I needed to decide that I definitely did not want to celebrate Halloween with our kids. Halloween is bad! ....right?

This is our third Halloween since having kids, and we've never celebrated it in any way. Every year, strangers, friends, and family members ask what they boys are going to be for Halloween, and we gently share that we won't be celebrating. The most common response is a look of horror like we've revealed some gross child abuse, and a "Why not?!" Our answers vary a bit, depending on the asker--usually citing reasons of too much "scare" or too much sugar. They usually nod and move on, noting us as one of "those crazy Christian-types", I'm sure.

Despite the "Halloween guilt" that I felt when I celebrated, I still can't quite forget about Halloween now. We have not celebrated it, but every year I've imagined our boys in one of those super cute costumes. I mean, is there anything cuter than a baby turkey or a baby lion? And, the baby lobster?! C'mon, baby costumes=greatest invention ever!

Honestly, I've wanted to dress up my kids in Halloween costumes since...well, before they were ever born! And, as of yet, I have not because A) I have no particular place to take my costumed babies, and therefore, no reason to spend the time/money; and B) I've always believed that Halloween is wrong. (Right?)

This year, October began as usual, and I made a mental note that we needed to be careful where we took the boys inside particular stores. Why? Because I have a very observant three-year-old now who will want to know all about the Halloween displays and costumes and decorations....and Halloween is scary. There are lots of creepy, screamy, ghostly decorations, and my aforementioned three-year-old is already afraid of the dark and nervous around unfamiliar people/things. Exposing him to anything that might warrant nightmares later is the last thing that I want to do--and, for me, that means skipping the majority of the Halloween stuff. But, I realize that this is probably the last year that we can just ignore Halloween. Someday, they will notice the costumes and the candy, and they will want to participate with their friends. I remember that feeling well, and it isn't fun. I don't want my boys to ever feel "left out" because of their beliefs--unless, of course, they're being left out of something wrong. But, is Halloween really wrong? I have lots of Christian friends who celebrate!

The more I thought about Halloween, the more I wondered why not just celebrate? Why not skip the creepies, and do it up the way we want to? Cute costumes, carved pumpkins, and artificial dye/GMO-free candies! Why not skip the "bad" parts of Halloween, and simply celebrate the fun parts? Isn't that what lots of Christians do? Why then do I feel so guilty for considering it?!

Well, I thought about it for a long time. Several days worth of thought, prayer, online research, and scripture readings later, I've come to a conclusion. For now, we will not be celebrating Halloween. (Noticed the "for now", did ya?) When the boys are old enough to notice the holiday and desire to participate (most likely next year!), we will celebrate--although not necessarily in the traditional manner.

Here's what I mean...
Halloween, which began as a pagan celebration, has historical roots in the occult. Not cool.
"There shall not be found among you anyone...who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord."
Deuteronomy 18:10-13
Now, I know that Halloween isn't a day full of witchcraft for most people, and it's simply turned into an innocent cultural norm. (Andplusalso, Christmas trees and Easter eggs originated from pagan holidays/rituals too!) I understand that completely, but for us, it isn't the mere costumes or the act of trick-or-treating, but rather the reason behind the entire holiday. To whom does Halloween give glory? It is a holiday that celebrates darkness, death, and fear, and I just can't quite grasp using such a holiday to glorify the One who is light, defeated death, and takes away fear!
That, I realized, was exactly why I had never celebrated Halloween as a child--and why so many Christians still don't celebrate. And, that's okay.

But, I feel like I want to teach my boys a little differently; rather than feeling left out by our Christianity, I want them to think about how we can use Halloween to glorify God and to bless our neighbors. As Christians, we are called to glorify God in ALL that we do ("So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31). Just because the concept of using this particular holiday to glorify God is foreign to me, that doesn't mean that it's impossible. We can use our lives to glorify our Creator any day--even October 31st! Am I talking about passing out carrot sticks and religious tracts to trick-or-treaters? No way! I'm talking about showing our neighbors the awesome love of our Lord and Savior through whatever ways we can think of! Passing out full-sized candy bars with a "Jesus loves you!" sticker, hosting a bonfire (with s'mores!) during trick-or-treat, taking your elderly neighbors a special homemade Halloween treat, helping a needy family out with costumes?? The possibilities are endless!

"In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:16
As Christians, we are different from non-believers, but that doesn't mean that we aren't to associate with them. In fact, we are called to do just the opposite; we are called to be salt and light to the world.
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."
Matthew 5:13-16
Am I being salt and light by keeping holed up in my living room with the porch lights off? How does completely ignoring a major holiday in our culture glorify God? Just because we're not doing something that doesn't glorify God does not necessarily mean that we are glorifying Him.

How can we glorify God on Halloween? Well, there's no singular right answer. We can glorify God on Halloween just like we do any other day of the year, but we should also keep in mind that Halloween actually offers more opportunities than many other days. A friend shared this article a few days ago, and I found it absolutely fascinating.
3 Ways to be Missional This Halloween.
For me, I've never thought of Halloween as an extra opportunity to share Christ's love with anyone, but that's exactly what it is. This article was eye-opening to me, and I realized that God really can use anything for His glory--including a holiday originally intended for the exact opposite!

Just this morning, I heard this quote, "Halloween is the only day of the entire year that the world comes to our doorsteps in search of something. What are we going to give them?" Think about that, Christians.

Through all of this, I realized that our main reasons for not celebrating Halloween with the boys thus far has been fear. Halloween involves some scary stuff, and I want to shield my babies from it for as long as possible. I don't even want to walk past the holiday aisles in the stores, let alone go trick-or-treating with the neighborhood goblins and monsters. What I afraid of? To be honest, it's my son's fear that I'm afraid of. And, what does the Bible have to say about that? Do not fear. Simple enough? Isaiah 41:10 is one of my favorite verses, but there are plenty of others to reassure us--just type "Bible verses about fear" into your favorite search engine! I found this article to be helpful on the matter of dealing with scary Halloween and kids: 3 Tips for Discipling Your Kids Through Halloween.

So, whether you're dressing up your littles this evening, or staying home to watch [non-scary!] movies, I hope that you have a most blessed day! Your own personal convictions are between you and the Holy Spirit, and I am not saying that Christian families definitely should OR should not participate in Halloween activities. I do encourage you to examine the subject of Halloween with an open mind, a spirit of serving The Lord, and a desire to glorify Him in all that you do today and every day.

This is the day the Lord has made;
We will rejoice and be glad in it!
Psalm 118:24

Happy Halloween!

Worry?

Are you a worrier? I am. It's something that I've struggled with for most of my life--and even more so since becoming a momma! One of my favorite passages is Matthew 6:25-34, where we are assured that our worry is in vain. God provides all that we need--and, really, what do we accomplish by worrying? If you're familiar with this scripture, you know that it describes the birds and flowers that do not worry or even work, yet are continuously taken care of by our Creator.

This summer, I've had a beautiful reminder of this passage in a flowerbox on my deck. This darling little red petunia sprouted about two months ago, and has been continuously blooming ever since--sometimes with two or three blooms at a time! I haven't ever watered it or fertilized it--nor did I plant it! In fact, I didn't plant a single thing in that flowerbox this year because I've always had such problems keeping plants alive in it!

I did have petunias in that flower box last year, but petunias are annuals, meaning that they don't typically reseed themselves. After a bit of investigation, I've learned that petunias that do happen to reseed and sprout are often scrawny and without blooms. Like I said, my little petunia has produced countless flowers all summer! What an awesome reminder of the care that our Lord gives even a little plant. Every time that I glance out our glass door and spot the cheery red blooms, I am comforted by the reminder that God is in control, he will provide all that we need--and that we are so much more important that a little plant!

After enjoying my petunia all summer, I decided to write this quick blog entry to share with you. Of course, I snapped a few photos (above) to include. Last night, I stepped out onto the deck, and was surprised to find another flower growing in the box. Next to my petunia, there is a little pink impatien growing! How did it get there? My best guess is those birds of the air or the wind--with a little divine intervention, of course! I do have an impatien plant in a pot on the deck--but, it's several feet away from the flowerbox. Nevertheless, no matter how the plants were seeded, I know that we have an awesome God who cares more than enough for us! I don't have to worry, and I am so grateful for these two beautiful reminders. How has God reminded you not to worry?