Halloween

Halloween is approaching. {Horrors}. Not horrors, as in spooky ghosts and goblins. Horrors, as in stress. What to do, where to stand, where to go, what to explain to the kids...

I have a hard time with this internationally celebrated holiday. Here are my reasons...We live in a world incredibly impacted by spiritual things. We live in the world, and go about our day to day busyness, with almost no thought to the spiritual realm. We pray everyday, and read our Bibles. We eat our food (pray again) and go to work. We eat again and pray again. We talk, we kiss boo-boos, we watch tv. We go to bed. We pray again. We sleep. Repeat, repeat, repeat.

We are at war, and are blissfully unaware of it. To our detriment. I've never been to war, but I've seen movies (which I will assume to be at least semi-accurate portrayals). They aren't boring and regular. They're grueling and full of acute awareness. Of where the enemies are. Of what they might be planning. Of where they might strike next. How can we be protected? How can we stage an attack of our own? How can we thwart the plans of the incoming destruction?

I believe these things truly and whole heartedly. I do. So how do you go about celebrating {or avoiding} a holiday which plays so heavily into the spiritual world?

I heard something by John Piper once, about Halloween, and I really liked his answer for the freedom in it. He was basically expressing that he supported people that thought that Halloween was of the devil, and they should take no part to acknowledge the holiday. And also that he supported people that were seeing the holiday, yes, as "Satan's", but using the evil for good, and trying to have an impact on the world through that. I can see merit in both sides. But where do I choose to make my stand?

I feel that just because we treat something with innocence or as harmless, does not mean that is it. I would not allow my children to innocently play with fire, although they may not believe it could ever harm them, allowing that innocence {or ignorance} to continue would be fool hearty. A wake up call is in order. Fire can ruin your life and everything you love.

So, just because "everyone" watches Harry Potter, and the Wizards of Waverly Place, and Sabrina the Teenage Witch* -

and makes light of the dark side of the spiritual world -

or worse, glorifies it, turning it into something good -

...Just because we treat something as innocent, does not mean that it is

Spiritual warfare is real - whether it is acknowledged or not.

My kids, "protected" as they are in our home, already know what Zombies are, and Mummy's, and Vampires. And they learned a little sing-song game about Mummy Graveyard or something. They did not learn this from me. They learned it from other kids. I'll also let you know, that the time they have alone with other children is not hours a day, or even hours a week. It's extremely minimal, compared to most other children at their age, and yet, somehow in that minimal time, they've still picked it up, and memorized it. Is there any harm in singing an "innocent" little childs poem? I'll give it to you, that its likely fine.

But it is a gateway. The easiest way to prevent having an affair? Don't date other men (or women). It's a gateway. We safeguard our marriages by setting up appropriate boundaries that will help us remain faithful to our spouses, when there are "worldly people" out there who would seek to tear us down.

Playing innocent mummy games on the trampoline, may be innocent enough right now. But familiarity breeds acceptance...and it turns into something bigger, and something not quite so innocent.

Rabbit Trail - About 1.5 years ago, less than a mile from our house, a psychic/tarot card reading place opened. Every time I drove by, I prayed for that place. I prayed - not that it would close or that they wouldn't have any business - but that the people, the property, the area, would just have such an overwhelming sense of the presence of the Lord. I was very faithful about it - every time, coming and going, I would say a prayer of blessing for them, that their eyes would be opened to see the power of the mighty God we serve. Within 8 months they closed up shop. I obviously have zero clue what made them close down their business, but I do believe I had a small part in it. Our prayers are important to God, and in turn, to Satan. So then, I was grateful for its close - and no longer prayed over that area as I passed by. Guess what? It remained closed and up for lease for a good six months or so, and now, very recently - another psychic place has opened in the same spot. Hmmm. Prayer Warrior. Be ever vigilant.

So here we are, Halloween approaching, and I'm still a little unsure of what we'll do. In past years, we've kept it to complete avoidance (when the kids were very little), and that has evolved into church parties and dressing up in friendly costumes we already had in our dress up bin. We're standing on a line that is somewhere in between avoidance and acceptance. I'm not sure that's the place we'll stay. The kids know the historical facts behind the holiday. They know we should not imitate evil, or seek it out. I'm glad about all those things. Maybe this year we'll go out to eat as a family, somewhere fun that we've never been before. The kids have never been to Chuck E Cheese and really want to go...an idea, perhaps:-)

Prayers for all of us parents, as we struggle through the issues of life...



*I have not seen these particular movies or shows or read the books, nor will I, out of personal conviction. I completely understand that this is somewhat abnormal, in this day and age. I do believe in standing for something - even at the risk of looking like an idiot to the rest of you:-) I do believe that life is not as full of God as it ought to be. I do believe that God abhors evil and all the things that represent it. I am not passing judgement on anyone for their choices regarding Halloween, merely expressing my own. We should each do as our conscience and conviction allow.