I Just Have To Go THERE.

     Halloween.  How many blogs have been written in the past week on this topic?  Every year you see 100 different articles pop up on Facebook with every take imaginable on the "Holiday".  (I struggle to call it that).   I'll be honest...I read them.  It interests me and I'm intrigued by the different perspectives and a little amused by the "die hards".

     I remember trick or treating once or twice when I was little.  My parents were Christians and though they let us go a few times, as they grew in their faith they decided it was not something they chose to celebrate.  In addition...we lived in upstate NY and it's quite a challenge to put on a costume over a snow suit.  No joke. 

     Fast forward a while.  I can remember having an absolute BLAST dressing up as characters when I was in my 20's.  Let me tell you...I make a FABULOUS cowardly lion...an adorable Robin Hood...but no one could beat my friend Michelle and I as Wayne and Garth from "Wayne's World".  With my hair how could I not be great?   It was just fun dressing up and there wasn't anything "dark" associated with any of our outings. 

     Fast forward a little more.   Brian and I have 2 little girls and after lengthy discussions we decided a while back to forgo the trick or treating.  I debated this year.  School makes a huge deal over Halloween and lets face it....children LOVE to dress up...it just doesn't get much more fun than that.  Add some candy in there and you have some pretty happy kids to say the least.  My neighbor offered to take the girls with her and go to a very nice neighborhood that I was familiar with.  I battled within myself.  Halloween itself is certainly not a day I wish to celebrate... but I know full well that 95% of people just enjoy the costumes and candy, so what would it hurt to let my girls dress up and have fun collecting candy with other kids dressed up?   Halloween day Haylee borrowed a costume from the neighbor and went to school as Cleopatra...she was beautiful and had so much fun going to school in her flowy dress and beaded headband.   All day I thought about whether or not I should talk to Brian about allowing them to go trick or treating.  Suddenly there was just a check in my spirit that clearly said "no".   The debate was over. 

     I could write a few more paragraphs on why and why not, but I don't need to.  I clearly felt God tell me no and that is all that mattered.  I no longer cared what all the other Christians were doing or not doing.  I no longer questioned if I was keeping my girls from a fun experience with friends.  God told ME not to go.   Next year maybe we will feel differently, who knows.  What I do know is that when God prompts you to do or not do something it's best to listen and it doesn't make a hoot of a difference what instructions he gives or doesn't give anyone else. 

     Halloween night our family enjoyed a bonfire and we cooked hot dogs and roasted marshmallows for s'mores over the fire.  The girls ran around the yard in the dark with their big brother and had an absolute blast.  Both of the girls fell asleep in the arms of their parents wrapped in a blanket under the stars in the cool fall air.   I don't think they missed the candy, but I do believe we made a memory.