Why We Don't Celebrate Halloween

I remember as a kid looking forward to Halloween every year. I loved dressing up in fun costumes, and coming home after a long night of trick-or-treating to dump my bag of treats and see what I had accumulated. My big brother and I would even count every single piece to see who got the most. Yes, we were that competitive:)  I never thought about why we celebrated Halloween. I never wondered about its origin or history.  I just knew it was fun, and a great way to get candy.

Jeremy celebrated Halloween as a child too, so after we had our first son, Owen, we were excited to carry on the tradition and pick out a costume for him.  He was only 6 months old, and hadn't even gotten his first tooth, but nonetheless we dressed him up as the cutest clown you've ever seen, and took him to get candy from our parents.  We loved showing him off and getting pictures of him in his adorable costume.

The next year, I really started questioning the reason for celebrating Halloween. I knew it was a pagan holiday, and realized that there was a dark side, but felt that since we didn't dress our child up in scary costumes that it was just innocent fun.  Each year though, I felt more convicted in my spirit about having any part of it.  And yet, year after year I talked myself out of those convictions by focusing on what the world said was acceptable.

Finally, when Owen was six years old, Jeremy and I made the decision not to celebrate Halloween anymore. While researching it I realized that the origin and history goes directly against the word of God, and what we teach our children every day. 

Halloween promotes fear, darkness, and evil.  I know that most parents don’t promote this side of Halloween, but it’s still very much there. This is a day that witches and Satanist look forward to all year.  I remember reading an article where a former Witch talked about how she couldn't believe Christians let their children participate in such a dark holiday. That says a lot.  God’s word calls us to be set apart and to be a light unto darkness.  Paul said that Christians should "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them." (Ephesians 5:11) He also wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:22 that we are to "Abstain from all appearance of evil."  

Ephesians 6:12 says “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” I don’t want my children to be out on a night where spiritual warfare is no doubt at its strongest.  

My kids still enjoy dressing up throughout the year as their favorite characters. My seven year old is dressed like Spider-man more times than not here lately, and my daughter is a different Disney princess every time I turn around. They can get candy anytime. But on October 31^st, I want them at home where we can together as a family pray against the very principalities and darkness that we're warned about in Ephesians.

Temporary Home

I found myself feeling very out of place tonight. I was driving home alone (a rarity, as I usually have my three very talkative kiddos in the back) and I found myself with a heavy heart. I felt so alone in this world. And by alone, I guess I also mean different. Here I am living this life that if you had told me ten years ago, I would be living..... I would have surely laughed.

For starters, it's nothing like what I had planned. My career choice had a lot to do with my children. I went to nursing school because I love to take care of people, but also because I knew it would provide an opportunity to work PRN shifts that would let me spend more time with my kids. My goal was to get a job as a school nurse at the kids school when my youngest started kindergarten. Fast forward seven years and I'm confronted with knowing that I'm being called to home school. Excuse me God? Come again? Surely I heard you wrong? I was suppose to get a break when Ava started kindergarten. I was suppose to finally start getting a substantial  paycheck. But you see, his ways are not our ways. Two years in, and I've found that I wouldn't trade teaching my children for anything.

So here I am, driving home feeling alone and different. I start to second guess myself and honestly think something must be wrong with me, because I actually enjoy doing all the things that society says are old fashioned and unnecessary. I can admit to being old fashioned. I might just be the only 32 year old that listens to southern gospel music on a daily basis :) I don't keep up with Hollywood, or the latest trends. My role models are the women in my life who are wise enough to put Christ first in all they do. I still get excited everyday around 5:00 because I know my husband will be walking through the door any minute. And yes, I actually enjoy cooking, cleaning, decorating, and making our house a home. 

I pulled in our driveway still feeling alone and out of place. Then the Lord reminded me of just how narrow his path is. It will feel lonely at times, but his word promises that he will never leave or forsake us. And it's only natural for us to feel out of place on this earth, because after all it's just our temporary home.