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!

A Mother's Love...

Eric and I stood in front of our church family today, and we dedicated our boys to the Lord. We promised to raise them in a Christian household, to teach them about Jesus, and to serve Christ through our jobs as parents. We promised to do all of the things that we've planned to do since we became parents--but this time, we promised in front of a lot of people, and more importantly, in front of God. This dedication is something that we'd *meant* to do for months after Nate was born. And after a little over a year, we figured we might as well wait a few more months to make a family of four event. So now, nine months after our little Levi joined the family, we have finally done it. We've publically dedicated both of our boys back to the Lord. A baby dedication is not a baptism or a guarantee, but rather a vow (on the parents' part) to train up our children in the way they should go (Proverbs 22:6).
I have been reading about Samuel's mother, Hannah, recently (1 Samuel 1&2). Hannah's willingness to very literally give her child back to the Lord convicted me a bit. If she was willing and able to give Samuel, who was the very desire of her heart--her son!--back to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:28), I should be willing to do the same. No, I'm not taking my boys to church to live there and be little assistants to the pastor in a modern day version of Hannah's Samuel. Why? Because that's not what the Lord has asked of me. But, if he does, I should be willing to let them go. These sweet boys of mine who are the most precious things in the world to me are not entirely mine. They belong first to the Lord, and then to Eric and me.

Our children are precious to us. They are the most important gifts that we'll ever receive, second only to our salvation through Jesus Christ. I once read a blog entry that discussed idols in today's world, and it really made me think. It seems that we often bypass the second and third commandments because they're the ones that we're sure we don't violate--no other gods before Him? Easy peasy; I've never even seen a golden calf statue, let alone considered bowing down before one! But, the gods of today's world are different from those of the Old Testament--or are they? An idol can be anything that we love more than God. Anything. Money? Friends? Material possessions? Our own children?!
Now, hold it right there--our kids can be our "gods before" HIM?! Yup. Anything we love more than God. Anything. That aforementioned blog entry discussed how children are the only idol that is commonly "acceptable" in the modern church. And, by "acceptable", I'm not talking about acceptable to God, but rather "acceptable" to us, the sinful humans. And, that's just not cool. God has made it very clear that we are to have NO other gods before Him--not even our beautiful babies, who are precious gifts from Him. We love our children very much, but we must be careful that the love we have for them does not overshadow the love for our Saviour. I'm not saying that you necessarily need to love your children any less, but rather that perhaps you should examine your relationship with your Creator. Are you giving Him all of your heart AND soul AND mind?
As parents, our jobs are huge and busy and never-ending. But, there is only one way that we're going to be the parents that HE designed us to be, and that is by putting Christ first in our lives. Strength for those sleepless nights? Patience with the toddler's tantrums? Wisdom during the scary teenage years? There is NOTHING that our God cannot handle, and with His help ANYTHING is possible! We were designed to praise, honor, and worship Him in all that we do--even me as a stay-at-home mommy. It is my job to show my boys what a real relationship with Christ is, and, oh what a job! The best (and only!) way to do that is to demonstrate it in my own life. As many hopes and dreams as I have for my two little ones, I have only one real desire for them--that they both grow up to be godly men who have a strong faith in the Lord. I want their relationship with Christ to shine so brightly from their lives that it easily overshadows anything else. Sure, I want them to grow up into happy and successful men who have everything they've ever wanted--but more than that, "I [will] have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in truth" (3 John 4).

Happy Mother's Day!!

Christmas Eve.

  After a 2-day-long "last minute" rush of cleaning and baking, we have finally settled down to enjoy our Christmas Eve around here.  We have an assortment of 8 different kinds of cookies in the kitchen, a living room bursting with twinkle lights and wrapped packages, a freshly mopped floor, a peacefully sleeping baby, and a weather map predicting a white Christmas!  What more could I want?!  We will be hosting Christmas dinner tomorrow for 16 people, and I cannot wait!

My handsome men.

         We spent our evening with some of our favorite people, and now it's just time to relax and enjoy the magic of Christmas.  We had dinner with Eric's grandparents, where Nathaniel opened his very first Christmas gift!  He received a baby gym, which he absolutely loves!

  Next, we attended the Christmas Eve candlelight service at church.  {Remember how special I knew it would be with my baby boy?  It truly was!} 

My brother, Tim, is home for Christmas, and he finally got to meet Nathaniel!

     When we came home, I gave Nathaniel his bath, then he got to play with his little gym for a bit.  He has such a blast with it!

Then we settled down to read The Night Before Christmas....

Nate is asleep now, and Eric and I are enjoying a movie together.  I cannot imagine a better way to spend a Christmas Eve!

   Merry Christmas!

nursery.

     Well, today was the big day!  (You know, the one that I've been putting off for 3 and a half months now....)  Nathaniel finally made his debut in the church nursery without Mommy today.  And, guess what?  It wasn't so bad!  I didn't feel terrible or guilty, and he didn't cry or fuss.  Granted, I only went two doors down the hall for an hour, but still--you've gotta start somewhere, right?!  I'm so proud of my big boy (and, yes, of myself too--I didn't cry either!).  I guess, though I hate to admit it, there are a few other mommies out there who can take care of my boy for a little while.

     All that being said, I started back to teaching my Sunday School class this morning (sans baby), and it was wonderful!  I teach preschoolers, and I really have missed them!  We learned about the angel telling Mary that she would be having Baby Jesus, and we talked a lot about babies.  Since I didn't have any little boys in attendance today, we got to talk about real babies and baby dolls!  I am glad to be back into my Sunday routine, and am learning to let Nathaniel be a little further away than across the room!

     After Sunday School, I had the perfect excuse to collect Nate from the nursery (wait, does one really need an excuse to collect her own baby?), as our family had been asked to read a scripture and light the candle for the second week of Advent.  We enjoyed sharing in the service, and Nathaniel was an angel through the sermon.  Of course, it was a great excuse for all three of us to coordinate outfits and have a few family pictures snapped after church too!