You’ve bought costumes for everyone in your family and the candy bowl is ready and waiting by the front door. The treats are packed for the school Halloween party and your trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend was a blast! But wait… could you be forgetting something? Is there more to Halloween for the Christian than just dressing up and ringing doorbells?
Here are eight ways you are called to be different this Halloween:
You’ve bought costumes for everyone in your family and the candy bowl is ready and waiting by the front door. The treats are packed for the school Halloween party and your trip to the pumpkin patch last weekend was a blast! But wait… could you be forgetting something? Is there more to Halloween for the Christian than just dressing up and ringing doorbells?
Here are 8 ways you are called to be different this Halloween:
1. You are called to be confidently unafraid.
M. Night Shyamalan’s science fiction film Signs was the first horror movie I watched. I saw it at a friend’s house who lived down the street from me. When the movie ended, it was time for me to walk home ... in the dark. I’m not sure I’ve ever been that terrified before! As I sprinted home, my mind was continually replaying the scariest scenes of the movie. I was sure that I would encounter an alien during that walk!
In the weeks before Halloween almost every television show, movie and commercial that plays has a creepy twist or a terrifying turn. We’ll talk about how we should engage with frightful entertainment in a moment, but first I want you to know that you are called to be unafraid.
There are real forces of evil at work in the world but the work of Jesus in and through us is undeniably stronger! Ephesians 6:12 tells us that there is a struggle “against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” And 1 John 4:4 says that we shouldn’t be faint of heart because of this but that we “have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
We shouldn’t let any wicked thing on Halloween cause such trepidation in our hearts that we’re overcome with fear. God is stronger, of that I have no doubt! We can be confidently unafraid of every vile thing we encounter.
2. You are called to eat candy with your neighbors.
I can’t say for certain, but based on passages like Matthew 9:10-13, my best guess is that on Halloween night, Jesus would have gladly opened the door and handed a snickers to every single person who knocked, even if they were dressed like the devil himself.
Halloween is not the day to be unengaged with the people who live closest to you but the day to stand with your door wide open to anyone who comes. I love the way Jimmy Needham says it, “One night a year the mission field actually knocks on our door. How will we respond? With a lit-up house, the best candy on the block, and the name of Jesus on our lips.”
What do you think would happen if this year you made Halloween more about loving your neighbors than hiding away with church friends? You never know what God might do through your open door!
3. You are called to be salt.
Christians shouldn’t just be present on Halloween, we should be the seasoning that takes this bleak day from bland to bright. We are called to bring a different flavor to the evening than those who celebrate death and darkness.
What does this mean? It means that we should choose to represent light and hope, not death and darkness. Let this guide you when you’re choosing your costume (and your kids’ costumes!), when you’re decorating your home and when you’re choosing what Halloween activities your family will participate in.
Proverbs 27:19 says that our lives reflect our hearts. Let your life, even on October 31, reflect the life and light of Jesus who is in your heart!
Photo Credit: Getty Images
4. You are called to love your neighbors really well.
If you’re going to have a Jesus sticker on your car and invite your neighbors to church, you might as well give their kids the best candy on the block. And maybe even have hot cocoa ready for frazzled, cold parents?
If king-sized candy bars aren’t in your budget, that’s okay. At the very least, greet each person with a hospitable hello at the door. If Matthew 22:39 says we should love our neighbors like we love ourselves, a good place to start would be knowing their names!
October 31 could be the first day in building a relationship with someone God placed next door to you because he wants to use you to bring them to Christ. Go all out in loving your neighbors! This is your chance to show them what Jesus is like so that some may come to know him.
5. You are called to honor Christ on a dark day.
On Halloween, as you would on any other day, honor Christ in all the decisions you make. Don’t take part in family drama, instead be full of grace. Don’t dress provocatively but honor your body which was made in the image of God. Don’t drink until you’re drunk but be full of the Holy Spirit.
Don’t let the busy day and your sugar-crazed kids turn you into a harsh-mouthed parent. Instead treat your family with understanding and patience. Don’t let your children be rottenly selfish, but gently lead them to be selfless. Honor Christ in all you do and say on this dark day.
6. You are called to avoid sneaky evil.
The sneakiest evil of all might be the jealousy and envy that creeps in when we’re scrolling the social media posts on November first. It’s so easy to compare who made the most creative DIY outfit for their child, who curated the cutest matching family costumes and who has the trendiest decor on their front porch.
But James 3:16 says, “For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.” Avoid the sly evil of comparison and enjoy the day you had and the memories you made!
Design Credit: Rachel Dawson
7. You are called to not make light of the darkness.
There are countless forms of entertainment that celebrate the darkest evils on Halloween. But just because haunted houses and horror movies exist, doesn’t mean we should participate in celebrating them. Making light of the darkness by consuming it for entertainment’s sake won’t add anything worthwhile to our lives.
Philippians 4:8 tells us that we should center our thoughts on things that are true, lovely, right and pure. And when we think on and put into practice these lovely and good things then the peace of God will be with us. What a far cry God’s perfect peace is from the eerie evil that permeates Halloween activities.
8. You are called to do everything for the glory of God.
Finally, whatever you do, do it for the glory of God. Whether you dress up and go door to door or stay home and draw the shades, ask yourself, how can I do this to the glory of God? How can I draw the lost to him through my actions today? How can I worship him with my choices today? There’s no better day to commit to the Lord than the day the world celebrates death and darkness!
Shelby Turner is a speaker and writer who lives in Kansas City, Missouri with her husband and three sons. When she isn’t sharing Jesus from the stage or writing words on a page, you can find her building Legos with her kids. You can connect with her on her blog at www.shelbyraeturner.com or she also loves to hang out on Instagram at @shelbyraeturner.
Photo Credit: Getty Images
