Halloween

This year for Halloween, we had a cute 2-year-old CheerBear running around our house. For those of you that aren't familiar with my favorite CareBear, it's the pink one with the rainbow on its belly. Since Lillian is too young to yet have a preference on what she is for Halloween, Mommy indulges in the opportunity to pick what I like best. Last year, she was a Carolina cheerleader. I indulged then, too. In addition to seeing our little one run around with giddiness whenever she donned this apparel, we also had the privilege of interacting with numerous neighbors and friends, all eager to share fellowship and fun.

As most know, participation in Halloween is quite the controversial thing among Christians. And since we love and follow Jesus, it may surprise you to know that we freely enjoy participating in this holiday. Believe me, a lot of thought has gone into deciding what our family’s take on Halloween will be. I’ve definitely had wise women whom I adore strongly advise me not to allow my children to participate. And for those of you that know me well enough, you know how much I angst over having everyone’s approval and doing “just the right thing”. So, I’m actually proud of myself that I’m not too afraid to clearly explain where we are in our thinking on it. While we respect the convictions of anyone who does not want their family to participate in trick-or-treating (Romans 14:13,21), we have decided that it is a rare annual opportunity for us to laugh with our neighbors, meet their children, welcome them to our home, find open doors into theirs, and just be PRESENT. We absolutely love our neighbors, and the chance to show this by being present with them trumps the concern about the holiday's origins, when there is little connection with those origins in the reality on our street. So, regardless of what this holiday’s celebrations may be like elsewhere- on our street, it’s all about community as a neighborhood and spending time with each other, and also hospitality. Growing these relationships is something God has called us to, and also something we love—so, we participate with consciences that Christ has freed, and we pray God will use our time for His glory. 

As always, enjoy some pics.