“Let no one be found among you who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead.” Deuteronomy 18:10-11

It’s Halloween. And like it or not, the day of controversy and decision making has come. I remember it like it was yesterday… waiting for darkness to fall so my brother and sister and I could go out to ‘trick or treat’ for candy. It was an uncomfortable day back then too!

I remember how I felt cheated when I looked out the window and saw Billy already hitting up the neighbors door… and the sun hadn’t even gone down yet! “How come HE gets a head start while I have to wait?” Timing seemed EVERYTHING.

I remember the smell of the plastic mask I wore, held on by one thin band of rubber that ALWAYS broke long before we got home. I remember, as I breathed into it, the smell getting worse… and my mom saying repeatedly.. “put your mask back on or they’ll know its you!” They can see YOU mom! “Just do it,” was her reply. Pretend and cover-up was the key.

I remember measuring success by comparing how much candy I got in MY bag as compared to my siblings! My sister seemed to get more cuz she was a girl! Apparently reward was not equal.

I remember sitting down and looking at MY pile of candy, then eating my favorite stuff first. Over the next couple days, as the stash got low, I STILL ended up eating what was left! Then lusting after my brother’s stuff… since he was a hoarder and stretched his out! I thought, “Why couldn’t I help him with HIS before it spoiled? Why doesn’t HE share?”

Halloween bring controversy!!! To participate or not? Do we go door to door or to a Church ‘Fall Festival’ instead? Will participation bring some demon into my life that will spiritually cause me harm? Just how bad is it?

Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greear said in a recent podcast that the holiday doesn’t have to be divisive. He refers to Romans 14 and differences in acts of conscience, and that we should not be divisive or judgmental if our brothers differ in opinion over non-essentials. A good work indeed!

I think you can see that I didn’t need demons poking at me to make me a mess! Being human and selfish, I seem to wear masks much of the time! Ultimately I thank God that He ‘treats’ me better than I deserve!