“Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” -Philippians 4:8
Love it or hate it, today is Halloween, and right now it’s being celebrated by millions across the globe.
Some Christians join right in on the Halloween festivities. Others are deeply against the holiday because they see it as a celebration of evil and darkness and everything that is against our faith.
Growing up, I never really went trick-or-treating, at least not door-to-door. Our church used to have a fall harvest party right around Halloween, and that was our big celebration.
I also remember dressing up and visiting a few different homes of people we knew. But I knew it was different from what most others were doing on Halloween. My parents didn’t denounce the holiday, but we didn’t do much for it, either. They definitely guarded us from all the darkness that inevitably accompanies October 31.
Now, I’m not here to tell you whether or not you should go trick-or-treating tonight. I’ll leave that decision to you and your family.
But I am really alarmed by the darkness that’s become so normalized in our society, especially around this time of the year.
I have kindergarten students who spend their nights playing violent video games and watching horror films. They talk about these things like it’s their normal. They find thrills in violence and evil, and they are only five and six years old.
And that’s not okay to me. I hate that there are so many young people around the world spending so much time dancing with the darkness. But that’s normal now, isn’t it? That’s where we find our entertainment. We look to the darkness to find our joy.
By the way, I’m guilty of it too. Seth and I love to watch crime shows and try to guess the ending. But so often, shows like that can be filled with the darkest moments of humanity.
But God has a very different joy He offers to us. In Philippians 4:8, Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”
That’s the joy God offers us. He offers us joy in what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. God offers us joy in the light. He offers us joy in His gift to the world, the greatest gift of all, the gift of Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 9:1-2 says, “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned. You have enlarged the nation and increased their joy; they rejoice before you as people rejoice at the harvest, as warriors rejoice when dividing the plunder.”
Accept the gift of Jesus. Accept the light. Love the light.
Dismiss the darkness.
I know today is Halloween, but what better time to make this new resolution in your life?
Dismiss the darkness, and love the light.
Like Paul wrote in Romans 12:9, “Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.” And true. And noble. And lovely.
Loving the light is a lifestyle, and it’s not the lifestyle our world is trying to sell us. It’s different. It’s unpopular. But it’s life-giving.
So I’ll say it one more time, friend… dismiss any of the darkness that’s seeping into your life, whether that’s in the form of a TV show, video game, music genre, relationship, or holiday. And welcome in the light.
And never forget… you are onederfully created.
Love,
Becca
