A Halloween Story

We grew up not celebrating Halloween because it was pagan and showed that we worshipped the devil. We would hide in the back of our house, turning off all the lights, huddled around our old black-n-white tv turned down real low while the trick-or-treaters came knocking at the front door, staying quiet so they wouldn't know we were home (talk about creepy!  ) The teacher always let me hold her hand and be the line leader that day at school since I was the only kid not in costume, so i'd feel special too. I tried to pretend I didn't want to wear a fun costume, and that pumpkin-carving looked dumb. And that the thought of getting a bucket full of free candy would just be horrible. And that the taste of candy corns were revolting. But pretending never works. I really didn't want to worship the devil; I loved God. But 'all things Halloween' were bad and that was that.

I've come to realize that many, many things that we accept today as beautiful, wonderful, and even 'Christian' have very pagan origins. Like gold wedding rings on the left hand. Crosses. Bridesmaids. The fish symbol. Christmas trees. Wedding veils. It's a surprisingly long list if you ever take the time to look into it. And I've always wondered why I choose to avoid some, but not the others.

Anyway, this isn't a put-down to those who still avoid holidays like Halloween. I get it. I did the same thing for 31 years and I respect you for your beliefs. I know this is a night on which many who worship in the occult have their heyday. I know that a lot of bad, sick, evil things happen on this night. Trust me, I believe in a devil and know he walks about like a lion, looking for those he can devour, and I pray often for protection from his twisted ways.

But I also know of a lot of Christian homes where bad, sick evil things happen at night. Where we worship things like money, status, being right, and pride and wreck our homes and loved ones because of these other gods we allow in. For those of you who like to argue about these things, you'll win, because i really hate to argue, and will refuse to go there with you. I just know that the other night when we were carving pumpkins, I asked my daughter out of the blue, "You know Halloween used to be a pagan (and still is by some) holiday. Do you feel like we just worshipped the devil while we carved our goofy-looking jack-o-lanterns?" and she looked at me like I had horns. Non-satanic horns, that is. And I felt happy, very happy, that my kids do not carry the fear that dressing up in a fun costume or carving pumpkins will separate them from God's love, like I embraced until very recently. I have passed a lot of "me" down to them, some purposefully and some unwittingly, but that one, the fear that something I will do will keep God from loving me...has been buried in the grave.

So tonight, we will gather with friends at a party, wearing outlandish costumes. My kids will collect a lot of candy laced with high fructose corn syrup, and be hyper tonight from eating so much of it. We will hang orange lights on the walls and play fun music. We will marvel at the creativity. We will take pictures. We will eat pumpkin muffins and drink Octoberfest beer and engage in lively conversation. And we will laugh a lot. We won't be worshipping the devil at this party, so if you're looking to do that, please head elsewhere. But we will have a whole heck of a lot of fun enjoying this festive, silly night together with friends. I can't wait to see your costumes, but even more, I can't wait to see you. Happy Halloween!