October 31st (my 200th post)

Interesting that my 31st post of this month not only concerns the 31st day of this month, but will likely also be read on that day. Many of my readers will be shocked to learn that for the first time in my memory, I am going to celebrate Halloween this year.

When I was a little kid, I was told that Halloween was evil and wicked and that it "goes against God," whatever that means. My mom would take the day off of work and keep us home from school so as to avoid the festivities, and we would turn off our porch lights and any other lights near the front of the house and do quiet activities like reading, in hopes that no one would accidentally come knocking on our door. I got used to explaining to my teachers, year after year, that I could not participate in any Hallween-related activities, including class parties, festive word search puzzles, or even foreign-language class vocabulary lists. I was generally confused by this whole procedure, as my friends all seemed to enjoy Halloween and thought Iwas a bit weird for not participating, but if nothing else, we were consistent. This routine remained the same regardless of what grade I was in or where we were living at the time.

It should come as no surprise that the strict college I attended and the ministry I recently left both prohibited Halloween activities as well, going so far as to disallow any decorative items in the classroom that could be construed as supportive of Halloween. In both places I was able to witness several versions of the "harvest party," a Christianized activity involving candy and costumes and generally taking place near the end of October. This particular practice confused me more than my mother's practice of keeping us home every October 31st, as it seemed like Christians were saying that the parts of Halloween that most children participate in - dressing in costumes and receiving candy - were acceptable, but not on the night of October 31st and not if they occurred anywhere besides the church parking lot.

Since my recent discovery of life under grace instead of guilt, I have spent a considerable amount of time thinking through my own standards concerning controversial ideas like Halloween. Until now, I was able to use the crutch of ultra-strict rules to be my guide. I never had to decide whether or not Halloween, contemporary Christian music, piercings, shorts, mixed swimming, etc. were good or bad or what to do with them. I didn't have to think about these things at all.

I have come to the conclusion that it is not wrong for me to wear a costume to work on October 31st. It is also not wrong for me to pass out candy to the adorable, costumed children who come to the store on that day. Furthermore, it is not wrong for me to attend a party that evening at the home of one of my coworkers. This level of participation is allowing me to be a testimony to my coworkers, rather than causing them to feel as though I were judging them for "going against God" and participating in an evil holiday. I get to further my relationship with my coworkers by attending a party and I get to make little kids happy when they walk into our store and receive their treats. And I get to wear a costume, something that I enjoy doing but have little experience with.

The neatest part about all of this is that I was able to think and pray through this decision and know that my conclusion is a correct one. If I had thought and prayed through the same decision and chosen not to participate, that conclusion would also have been correct. That's what's so amazing about grace. God gave us brains and Bibles and wants us to use both so that we can learn more about His love for us and show that love to others, and if I decide that the best way for me to do that is to participate in this holiday, then that's okay. If I had decided that the best way for me to show God's love to others would be to choose not to participate, then that would be okay, too. There's no guilt involved. And I won't judge other Christians who make different decisions about this holiday, because they are also not guilty. God's grace is big enough to handle Halloween.

I am excited about the prospect of dressing up this October 31st. I get to go to church in the morning, something I am always excited about these days, then I get to head over to work and change into a costume and wish little kids a safe and happy Halloween. And to those of you who are reading this post, I wish you the same: have a safe, happy Halloween, however you choose to participate or not participate, as the case may be.