Jessica Thompson » Family Children Worldviews Wisdom Culture

To trick-or-treat or not to trick-or-treat­—that is the question. Parents everywhere are weighing the pros and cons of taking part in the impending Halloween holiday. But we need some perspective.

Halloween is controversial for Christians, and especially for Christian parents. There are blog posts on why you should celebrate Halloween and blog posts on why you shouldn’t, and on and on it goes.

I am not going to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. Nor am I going to go into the origins of the holiday. What I am going to do is make a simple request: Can we please stop judging each other and breaking fellowship over a simple day?

A simple day

I know even using the words “simple day” is going to make some people uncomfortable. I am aware of all that is at stake if you celebrate Halloween and all that you could miss out on if you don’t. But I am calling to all moms out there to remember for just a couple minutes that your standing before God doesn’t change depending on what you do on October 31. To be honest, it doesn’t change no matter what you do any day of the year.

You could throw the biggest block party, and hundreds of people could get saved because of the light you were to your community—and God loves you exactly the same way he loves the other mom who listened to the convictions of her heart and stayed home.

Not a matter of tricking or treating

It is often said that some of our best obedience is laced with our worst sins, and this is true of the “how we do Halloween” question. We believe we are being obedient, and then we self-righteously judge everyone who doesn’t believe the same thing we do. Sisters, God uses us all differently, and he convicts us of how to raise our families differently. Can we please stop pushing each other into our own little boxes?

Your standing before God doesn’t change depending on what you do on October 31.

I am sure you could find verses that back up whatever your position is. Great! Be sure you know why you believe what you believe. Romans 14:5 says, “One person esteems one day as better than another, while another esteems all days alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” So yes! Know why you do what you do on Halloween, but now hear the words that come soon after that verse, “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of [tricking or treating] but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Rom. 14:17, my paraphrase).

We are a family

Beloved daughters, can we please remember that we are all made righteous before God because of the work of Christ? Can we recall that we have peace with God because our Savior removed every obstacle to our relationship with God and with each other? Can we meditate on the joy that the Holy Spirit brings as he reminds us of these truths? And can we please stop trying to find our righteousness, peace, and joy in our own traditions?

We are a family, and we don’t have to agree about all the little details of daily life. We can be different from each other, have different convictions, and work out those convictions in different ways.

Whatever you do this coming Thursday, in word or deed, do it for  God’s glory, not your own. 

« Newer Older »