Day 30 of 31 Days of My Single Life: of Halloween, death, darkness, light, and life

So . . . Halloween.

I don't celebrate it.

I dressed up one year. The year I was at my YWAM discipleship training school. I went to the thrift store and got a strange-ish skirt and pink top, put a bandana in my hair, and called myself a "gypsy." I felt a little ill at ease dressing up for Halloween and still didn't feel like I fit in compared to those who really dressed up.

Halloween 2005

Halloween, 2005

What is Halloween in its essence? It's a celebration of death and darkness.

I know that's not what I see on my Facebook newsfeed. I see princesses and butterflies, Chewie and Darth Vader.

But what other time of year is it acceptable to cover your house in fake spider webs, erect tombstones on your lawn, and participate in downtown zombie walks?

I'm not going to get into the history of Halloween. I think it's obvious to any American that Halloween is even now a time to glorify ghosts and darkness and fright, even if you disregard the origin of "trick or treating."

We have a lot of liberty in Christ. Many believers celebrate Halloween. Even more believers celebrate the alternative Harvest Festival. Each of us must decide before God where we draw the line on a myriad of "gray issues."

Well, on this issue, I (and my family) choose not to engage in Halloween.

Our God (Halloween aside) is all about Life and Light.

"This is the message which we have heard from him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all." 1 Jn. 1:5

"In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it." Jn. 1:4-5

"Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, 'I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." Jn. 8:12

"For with You is the fountain of life;
In Your light we see light." Psalm 36:9

Is there anything so diametrically opposite of Life and Light than the death and darkness of tomorrow's holiday?

The temptation is always there to engage. There's also the pitfall of honoring the holiday by celebrating in a non-Halloween way. Tomorrow we plan on either watching Facing the Giants or playing games with a friend while we hide out from trick-or-treaters. It's a fine line to not "celebrate" the holiday by creating an "anti-holiday" tradition. And maybe that's not even an issue since it's not glorifying death and darkness.

Nice little bow to wrap this up: We are believers. We are born again into the kingdom of God. We must draw a line somewhere and hold fast to it.

"And what communion has light with darkness?" 2 Cor. 6:14b