 |
| Leave it to God! As I'm writing this post, God has Addi inscribe this on our driveway! |
Okay, I'm going to open a can of worms here. Let me put out a few disclaimers:
*First and foremost, this is what I believe and why.
*I'm not against anyone or judging anyone who believes in, celebrates, or participates in Halloween or its activities.
*These are the "Stefi Thoughts" on why we do or don't do what we do.
Many of you participate in Halloween. Many of you are appalled that I have chosen not to allow my children to engage in dressing up and going door to door to greet neighbors. Many of you think that I have scarred them for life, left them out, or sheltered them from a fun activity. Maybe you are right. But in the end, I am their momma. Hopefully, one day they will grow up, have children of their own and when their convictions pain them as much as this conviction pains me, I will have raised them to be strong women who can stand by their convictions and perhaps even write a blog about it.
This entry was actually a note written to a friend of mine who asked me to comment on a blog/article she had read. That blog can be found at: http://blog.beliefnet.com/
However, here are my thoughts. Again they are "Stefi thoughts" and what I hope is that my thoughts encourage you to come up with your own thoughts.
I have a lot of comments...not sure I can formulate them constructively.
Celebrating Halloween creates such a discourse in my heart. It creates such a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness. Therefore, I choose not to engage in the activity and look forward to Nov. 1st.
I have heard the argument that is presented in the blog before. While there is some truth to being welcoming, hospitable, and inviting to your neighbors, I'm not sure that these are the true reasons behind the night. The truth behind the night stems from a celebration of the dead. Since we worship the One who gives Life, why should we engage in the activity of the opposing force?
If I set out to "be welcoming, inviting, and hospitable to my neighbors on this one night" under the pretenses of giving out candy to children, am I truly doing such? I think perhaps that I in a way, I present a falseness or a hypocrisy. Because while I may be coming across as friendly, I'm not truly being welcoming, inviting, or hospitable in the true sense of these words. I'm not looking to make, nor will I make a lifelong impression upon those coming to my door. They are not looking for it either. They are ringing the doorbell, looking for candy, and moving on to the next house in just under 15-20 seconds. I'm then doing one of two things...1)I'm either conforming to a pattern of this world, or 2)I'm being a hypocrite. Or maybe both at the same time. Should I not be hospitable, welcoming, and inviting on all nights?
It is not that I have a problem with greeting people at my door. It is not that I have a problem with dressing up in cute, alter-ego costumes. It is not that I have a problem contributing to the tooth decay and candy industry of America. The problem I have stems from the fact that we do all of this on a day/time that honors the prince of darkness. And it is done by the drones of people all across the nation and even in other countries.
I just wonder what would happen if all the Bible believing/Bible practicing Christians decided not to participate. What would happen if October 31st was acknowledged like Oct 30th, Nov.1st, or even Oct.12. What would happen if a date was randomly chosen to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and we went door to door giving out, I don't know, ears of corn, pumpkins, potatoes, or apples? Sure it is not as fun or economical as candy, but what if? What if someone rang your doorbell on Nov. 1st and was holding an empty pillowcase? Because of the tradition, we would laugh and say, "You're a day late!" But in reality, should we not provide for the need that is standing on our porch?
So then the argument comes up that people by the drones are not going to stand on your porch and ring the doorbell holding an empty pillowcase on any other night. Okay, so why is it then acceptable to participate in the practice one night a year? What greater good does it serve? In the write-up it states that kids then associate the candy to "nice guy, gives good candy". Yet, do we tell our kids, "You can go up to that door and ask the man for something and he will give it to you." I don't regularly take my children around the neighborhood and point out houses that give out stuff. Quite the contrary, I tell them to be watchful, alert, and on guard. Be friendly, but don't talk to strangers. (Yes, even that is a conflict of statements). And I know the argument coming here is "It is safe if done in numbers on a night that everyone is participating and it is the norm." But I come back to, why is it the norm? Why is it okay?
So, on October 31st, my porch light will be off and I will not be participating in the night's traditional candy-giving activities. This begs the question to the night's participants, "why?" It is answered by another question, "what would my house look like on all other nights of the year?" It would most likely be dimly lit, maybe the t.v.on, one kid in the shower, one brushing her teeth getting ready to be tucked in for the night. The porch light would be turned on around 8:30 or 9pm. So if I decide to have lights on, is it okay then when people come down my long driveway for me to say, "I'm sorry. We don't participate in Halloween." Or have the porch lights being left off become the symbol of "Skip that house. They don't participate!"? Maybe it would be more truthful for me to say, "We don't participate," when my doorbell is rung. But then, you have angry people that come to the conclusion that I made them "come all the way down your drive for nothing!!" They wanted candy and instead receive the truth.
This thought just popped into my head...maybe I should have a small slip of paper to hand out to those who do ring my doorbell that reads, "Because we worship the One who gives Life, we choose not to honor the one who is the prince of death. Join us Sunday as we worship the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Giver of Life!" But then again....I'm participating!!
It is funny to me that so much attention is given to this day. Easter does not receive this much attention and build up. Nor does Columbus Day or Thanksgiving. It is rivaled with Christmas on sales and promotions. And yet why? What is at the root of the celebration? Death, darkness, greed (who gets the most/best candy), gluttony, coveting (costumes/candy), just to name a few.
Yes, the argument has been presented, "well you did this as a kid and you are no worse for the wear." This is true. We did dress up, we did go door to door. We did go to "Halloween Carnivals" sponsored by the PTO at our elementary school. I did examine the good candy and threw out the bad. It did all eventually get thrown out when around Easter, you realized the candy bowl still had candy in it from Halloween. I did dress Ashlyn up as an apple her first Halloween and as a butterfly her second. We did go to Fall Festivals at Church as "Alternative" sources. But my argument here is that I didn't know any better. I had not accepted Christ as my Giver of Light and Life. I did not know that His ways are higher. Both of my children have accepted Him. I am to model for them, His standard. I am not to conform to this world or lead my children in the conformation. I am to show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Celebrating Halloween creates such a discourse in my heart. It creates such a feeling of anxiety and uneasiness. Therefore, I choose not to engage in the activity and look forward to Nov. 1st.
I have heard the argument that is presented in the blog before. While there is some truth to being welcoming, hospitable, and inviting to your neighbors, I'm not sure that these are the true reasons behind the night. The truth behind the night stems from a celebration of the dead. Since we worship the One who gives Life, why should we engage in the activity of the opposing force?
If I set out to "be welcoming, inviting, and hospitable to my neighbors on this one night" under the pretenses of giving out candy to children, am I truly doing such? I think perhaps that I in a way, I present a falseness or a hypocrisy. Because while I may be coming across as friendly, I'm not truly being welcoming, inviting, or hospitable in the true sense of these words. I'm not looking to make, nor will I make a lifelong impression upon those coming to my door. They are not looking for it either. They are ringing the doorbell, looking for candy, and moving on to the next house in just under 15-20 seconds. I'm then doing one of two things...1)I'm either conforming to a pattern of this world, or 2)I'm being a hypocrite. Or maybe both at the same time. Should I not be hospitable, welcoming, and inviting on all nights?
It is not that I have a problem with greeting people at my door. It is not that I have a problem with dressing up in cute, alter-ego costumes. It is not that I have a problem contributing to the tooth decay and candy industry of America. The problem I have stems from the fact that we do all of this on a day/time that honors the prince of darkness. And it is done by the drones of people all across the nation and even in other countries.
I just wonder what would happen if all the Bible believing/Bible practicing Christians decided not to participate. What would happen if October 31st was acknowledged like Oct 30th, Nov.1st, or even Oct.12. What would happen if a date was randomly chosen to celebrate the bounty of the harvest and we went door to door giving out, I don't know, ears of corn, pumpkins, potatoes, or apples? Sure it is not as fun or economical as candy, but what if? What if someone rang your doorbell on Nov. 1st and was holding an empty pillowcase? Because of the tradition, we would laugh and say, "You're a day late!" But in reality, should we not provide for the need that is standing on our porch?
So then the argument comes up that people by the drones are not going to stand on your porch and ring the doorbell holding an empty pillowcase on any other night. Okay, so why is it then acceptable to participate in the practice one night a year? What greater good does it serve? In the write-up it states that kids then associate the candy to "nice guy, gives good candy". Yet, do we tell our kids, "You can go up to that door and ask the man for something and he will give it to you." I don't regularly take my children around the neighborhood and point out houses that give out stuff. Quite the contrary, I tell them to be watchful, alert, and on guard. Be friendly, but don't talk to strangers. (Yes, even that is a conflict of statements). And I know the argument coming here is "It is safe if done in numbers on a night that everyone is participating and it is the norm." But I come back to, why is it the norm? Why is it okay?
So, on October 31st, my porch light will be off and I will not be participating in the night's traditional candy-giving activities. This begs the question to the night's participants, "why?" It is answered by another question, "what would my house look like on all other nights of the year?" It would most likely be dimly lit, maybe the t.v.on, one kid in the shower, one brushing her teeth getting ready to be tucked in for the night. The porch light would be turned on around 8:30 or 9pm. So if I decide to have lights on, is it okay then when people come down my long driveway for me to say, "I'm sorry. We don't participate in Halloween." Or have the porch lights being left off become the symbol of "Skip that house. They don't participate!"? Maybe it would be more truthful for me to say, "We don't participate," when my doorbell is rung. But then, you have angry people that come to the conclusion that I made them "come all the way down your drive for nothing!!" They wanted candy and instead receive the truth.
This thought just popped into my head...maybe I should have a small slip of paper to hand out to those who do ring my doorbell that reads, "Because we worship the One who gives Life, we choose not to honor the one who is the prince of death. Join us Sunday as we worship the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Giver of Life!" But then again....I'm participating!!
It is funny to me that so much attention is given to this day. Easter does not receive this much attention and build up. Nor does Columbus Day or Thanksgiving. It is rivaled with Christmas on sales and promotions. And yet why? What is at the root of the celebration? Death, darkness, greed (who gets the most/best candy), gluttony, coveting (costumes/candy), just to name a few.
Yes, the argument has been presented, "well you did this as a kid and you are no worse for the wear." This is true. We did dress up, we did go door to door. We did go to "Halloween Carnivals" sponsored by the PTO at our elementary school. I did examine the good candy and threw out the bad. It did all eventually get thrown out when around Easter, you realized the candy bowl still had candy in it from Halloween. I did dress Ashlyn up as an apple her first Halloween and as a butterfly her second. We did go to Fall Festivals at Church as "Alternative" sources. But my argument here is that I didn't know any better. I had not accepted Christ as my Giver of Light and Life. I did not know that His ways are higher. Both of my children have accepted Him. I am to model for them, His standard. I am not to conform to this world or lead my children in the conformation. I am to show them the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
Ohhh this is such a heart-wrencher for me!! It is this very wrenching that causes me grief and anxiety. It is the very wrenching that leads me to not participate, to turn off the lights, to hull up in my house (no, we don't go out to dinner because ALL the waitstaff participates!), watch a movie or read a book, and pray in Nov 1st!!!
Here's the over all peace I find in the argument. Here's the peace that I rest in...FOR ME, once I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, there became a pit in my stomach against this celebration. It is that feeling that causes me the above mentioned grief and anxiety. It is the feeling that gives me a "you should not be doing this!" feeling that I simply can not shake. It is the feeling that says, "I know what is best for you. Follow me. Do not be conformed to this world. My ways are NOT your ways," declares the LORD." In the end, I don't have all of the answers to all of my questions. I don't have all of the solutions to this particular issue. I do have Jesus. And for me, I will celebrate the Light!!
I LOVE "Stefi thoughts". They almost always GOOD thoughts. :o)
ReplyDeleteLove you dearly! And you don't even need me to comment on this post because you know where I stand.
Mary
Wow Stefi. I really appreciate all you wrote. You clearly wrote what I feel and believe but have been too afraid to voice. Thank you for so passionately following Jesus that I will be able to be bold in what I know His convictions are for me.
ReplyDeleteRachel Porter