What is your Halloween

I used to boycott Halloween. My wife and I just didn’t like it. Especially when our kids were young. We wanted, I think rightfully so, to shield them from all the scary and disturbing images surrounding them during spooky season. We were the leave candy in a bowl on the front porch with a “take one” sign while we went to the aquarium kind of family. (Pro tip: the aquarium with young kids on Halloween is PEAK! No one else is there and you have your run of the place!) Anyway, we struggled with how we could honor God with a season seemingly hell bent on celebrating things that are against Him.   

That all changed when we moved to our new neighborhood back in 2018. I was standing in the front lawn of our soon-to-be home when a neighbor from across the street called me over and said, “If you’re thinking about buying that house, you need to know about Halloween!” Each year hundreds of kids and their families come to our street on October 31st. Some are even bused in from the city! Everyone sets up tables and chairs at the end of their driveway to give away candy, a guy down the street grills brats for the adults, a dentist lets kids choose toothbrushes and toothpaste OR candy, the police and fire departments go up and down the street throwing out candy from their vehicles… 

So my wife and I had a decision to make. Do we shun the whole experience, turn our lights out, and disengage OR do we do our best to love our neighbor? Despite our feelings about Halloween, God was leading us to a place where we had the chance to form community, show kindness to hundreds of families, and build relationships with our neighbors. What would be the better testimony to our neighbors – disengage or lean in? I think there are solid arguments for both, but we prayed about it, and chose to lean in. Now we look forward to Halloween each year. This opportunity to practically love our neighbor has led to a perspective shift that redeemed the holiday for us in a way. Plus (this is something I realized last year) what other night each year do you get to be thanked hundreds of times by children?! 

The point of this article isn’t to argue the merits of Halloween. It’s to share my family’s experience of how God led us in practically working out the implications of 1 Corinthians 9:22-23 and what it means for our lives. 

I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.  I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 

What is your Halloween? What is God calling you to that might make you uncomfortable, but He could use in your life to bless others and give you opportunities to be a witness for Him? How could God redeem something you don’t want to do for your good (Romans 8:28), His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31), and to express His kindness that leads to repentance (Romans 2:4)? Feel free to reach out and talk through these questions with us. We’re here to listen and walk with you as you seek to honor God in all He’s called you to do. 

– ABOUT THE AUTHOR –