Halloween
“Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, for the light makes everything visible.” - Ephesians 5:11-13 NLT
Growing up, I had little knowledge of God. The only time I ever saw a Bible was in the top drawer of a hotel nightstand. When I became a Christian, I had a lot to learn but it didn’t all happen right away. I was a mother of two with another on the way; by that time, certain traditions were ingrained in me. In my childhood, family time was rare and dysfunction was prevalent, but holidays were different. The nostalgia of Christmas trees, Easter bunnies, and trick-or-treating allowed me memories that bridged the gaps of what I thought a family should look like. But, the childhood traditions and memories were just paganism in disguise.
As I continued my Christian walk, I learned that Halloween was not something we should partake in. At the time, I didn’t agree because I did not yet understand the spiritual significance of this holiday.
When my oldest was five, we sent him to a Christian school. October came around and we didn’t think twice about trick-or-treating.The next day, I packed some of the candy in his lunch box to share. When I picked him up that afternoon, he started crying. His best friend called him evil saying he celebrated the devil’s holiday. Seeing his pain provoked me to dig deeper. Was it really evil for kids to enjoy costumes and candy? What did Halloween actually represent?
I’d love to say that was the last time we went out, but it wasn’t. Year after year, we’d go by what we felt — what was familiar. But, familiarity has a tricky way of keeping us bound and blind. It skews vision, placing feelings above facts.
The final year I “celebrated” Halloween, the schemes of the enemy became abundantly clear to me. While doing our usual trick-or-treating route, we spotted a horrifically haunted house on the corner. My youngest went into a full blown panic, when a masked man ran out in front of us with an axe. The fear I saw on his face changed everything for me; meanwhile, the masked man was laughing in a way the felt evil.
Something shifted. We may have been claiming ‘innocence’ , but we were actually supporting something very demonic. We had been intermingling with darkness. No matter how much we tried convincing ourselves that we were ‘bringing light to the dark,’ we were co-signing a day full of witchcraft, demonic rituals and communing with the dead.
It’s vital to ask ourselves: Where is my allegiance? Is it with God or the world? We are called to “take no part in evil and darkness; instead expose them.”
Don’t be deceived by familiarity. Seek the heart of God through His Word and ask Him to reveal the things you may not understand — for His light makes everything visible.