Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Halloween costumes
I love Halloween. But sometimes Christians tend to paint a negative face on this cultural holiday. And don't get me wrong, it can be gruesome and nasty. I mean, some of the flyers in the mail have been tossed immediately into the recycling bin to avoid younger eyes in our household. But, let's not forget to have fun at the same time!
As we've hunted for costumes, we've had an especially impossible time finding one in particular: angry birds. And not just the red one that everyone knows about. Our son wants the black bomber one. After calling like a thousand stores, visiting about a hundred of them, and web-hunting until my eyes practically popped out of my head, I had to give up in shameful defeat. But we did find one site that still has the red bird for fifty dollars plus shipping. So at this point, I'm trying to decide if I could actually toss over fifty plus dollars for one kid costume.
Our daughters already picked theirs: Spider-girl and Princess-of-thieves. They look adorable and have been practicing the fighting parts all week long. The angry glares, the poised fighting positions, battles with one another, the daggers, the swords... the quick hand movements. And it got me thinking... that when they wear these costumes, they actually feel like those strong and brave characters. Since we're still not sure what our son will end up wearing, let's just think on these two for a moment.
What if we covered ourselves with truth and absorbed the full message available to us? By believing the things the Bible says about us once we know Jesus, we would actually live differently. Let's take three of the big ones. First, if we covered ourselves in love, we would start to love others better. Second, if we wore a cape of forgiveness, can you imagine how we would start to forgive others and ourselves? Third, let's try to costume ourselves with kindness. Wouldn't our words be so different and our actions as well?
When the kids take off their costumes, they discontinue the role play. And we do the same thing with our faith. We feel brave and strong and spiritually fed in the middle of our quiet times or during Bible study or for one hour on Sundays. But then we forget, and our lives reflect that lost concept of truth that had momentarily empowered us just minutes or hours before.
So, let's get practical! Try to wear something as a visible reminder of who we are in Christ. It could be really simple like a ring, a bracelet, or a necklace. Maybe it's a tattoo for some of you who can brave the needle thing. Perhaps it's just a sticky note in your car or in your wallet so that every time you see it you're reminded of a verse that keeps things in perspective. This October 31st you'll likely wear a fun costume to your church or to a party, but try to focus on an eternal costume that outweighs them all.
As we've hunted for costumes, we've had an especially impossible time finding one in particular: angry birds. And not just the red one that everyone knows about. Our son wants the black bomber one. After calling like a thousand stores, visiting about a hundred of them, and web-hunting until my eyes practically popped out of my head, I had to give up in shameful defeat. But we did find one site that still has the red bird for fifty dollars plus shipping. So at this point, I'm trying to decide if I could actually toss over fifty plus dollars for one kid costume.
Our daughters already picked theirs: Spider-girl and Princess-of-thieves. They look adorable and have been practicing the fighting parts all week long. The angry glares, the poised fighting positions, battles with one another, the daggers, the swords... the quick hand movements. And it got me thinking... that when they wear these costumes, they actually feel like those strong and brave characters. Since we're still not sure what our son will end up wearing, let's just think on these two for a moment.
What if we covered ourselves with truth and absorbed the full message available to us? By believing the things the Bible says about us once we know Jesus, we would actually live differently. Let's take three of the big ones. First, if we covered ourselves in love, we would start to love others better. Second, if we wore a cape of forgiveness, can you imagine how we would start to forgive others and ourselves? Third, let's try to costume ourselves with kindness. Wouldn't our words be so different and our actions as well?
When the kids take off their costumes, they discontinue the role play. And we do the same thing with our faith. We feel brave and strong and spiritually fed in the middle of our quiet times or during Bible study or for one hour on Sundays. But then we forget, and our lives reflect that lost concept of truth that had momentarily empowered us just minutes or hours before.
So, let's get practical! Try to wear something as a visible reminder of who we are in Christ. It could be really simple like a ring, a bracelet, or a necklace. Maybe it's a tattoo for some of you who can brave the needle thing. Perhaps it's just a sticky note in your car or in your wallet so that every time you see it you're reminded of a verse that keeps things in perspective. This October 31st you'll likely wear a fun costume to your church or to a party, but try to focus on an eternal costume that outweighs them all.
Labels: Bible, costumes, faith, Halloween
