I have a number of childhood memories that come to mind about past Halloweens. I grew up in the day when Halloween was a bit safer and less evil, I suppose. It was always an exciting time of year when Mom would bring down the box from the attic with all of the Halloween decorations and we would excitedly put each one in its rightful place, always saving the lifesize cardboard skeleton for last, when it would take its place on the front door.
There was the Halloween, when in an effort to protect my younger sister from the potentially poisonous orange potion being handed out by strangers on the next street over, I slapped it out of her hand and all over anyone and everyone who was at all close. I may have "saved" her life, but there were several people after mine. Then, there was the year that I had finally grown into the beautiful sky blue formal gown given to me by an older friend. It hung in my room in a place of honor for days as I anticipated being the most beautiful princess ever. I almost remember it like yesterday. Who knew that Jack Frost had his own plans for Halloween that year? There was just one ultimatum. I would have to wear my big ugly coat over my beloved princess formal or there would be no Halloween. My love for all things sweet won out and much to my chagrin, I wore that coat.
Perhaps the memory that stands out the most surrounds the event that was most often carried out in our home on Halloween...CANDY INSPECTION. I can remember feeling so loved and cared for that my dad would take the time, after a hard day at work, to go through our candy and make sure that it was safe for us to eat. I am sure in most homes ALL unwrapped candy was deemed NOT SAFE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION and was thrown out. Then, Daddy would always look further into our stash and remove other candy that he was SURE we wouldn't like. ;-) Little did I realize in those early years that the candy he was so SURE we wouldn't like was exactly what he DID like.
I cannot remember the last time I went Trick or Treating. You can be sure though that it was sometime waaaay last century. I find myself thinking back today, treasuring those memories as happy family times, nothing dark or harmful.
We are on the other side of the Trick or Treat tradition now. For years, we turned the lights off and sat in a dark house on Halloween. We didn't want to be bothered. Then, we moved. Let me just say that Halloween is BIG here in the neighborhood we live in. It is nothing to have 200 children of all ages ring our doorbell on Halloween night. I remember our first Halloween in our new home. The doorbell rang. I opened the door and much to my surprise, there were more than a dozen kiddos standing on my porch. That was totally unexpected. By the end of the night, there was nothing left in our house that was safe and kid-friendly that could possibly have been used for a goodie and would bring a smile to a child.
Following that first Halloween night in our new home, God began to impress on my heart the opportunity that is ours to share the Gospel with so many that walk right up to our door. There is no telling the number of families we will come into contact with tonight that we may never come into contact again. It is now our joy to share Christ with these kiddos and their families each Halloween night. It is one of the highlights of our year.
Let me challenge you to use Halloween as an opportunity to minister to those who ring your doorbell next year. You may be the light to someone who would never hear the truth of the Gospel any other way. An excellent source of materials to be used can be found here. http://www.crossway.org/group/ats
I will close with a picture of our two favorite "goblins". Gundars received these disquises for his birthday this summer and it is a perfect picture for today. I love this picture and the way their personalities shine through.
Have a SUPER day. Be Blessed...
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