Halloween Blessings

Halloween is a great time to practice hospitality.

Today is Halloween. I love Halloween. I love carving jack o’lanterns. I loved it when I was a kid, even though Mama had to drive us ten miles into town to knock on doors of the people she knew. I loved it when I had my own house, but not my own children, and got to have trick-or-treaters for the first time. I loved it when my kids were little and picked out their cute little costumes. I loved it when we organized hay rides for our neighborhood. I love it now when I get to open the door to young trick-or-treaters and their parents.

I suppose I see Halloween as a way of connecting with community and extending hospitality. Going from door to door or answering the door, is a great way to reconnect with neighbors and it’s a great way to meet new neighbors. You actually see faces and make eye contact. It’s an opportunity to extend invitations for future get-togethers. It’s an opportunity to grow community.

Handing out candy is a great way to extend hospitality. I truly believe that there’s not many things closer to the heart of Jesus than the sweet, content smile of a child. It’s also a great opportunity to extend grace. It’s good to remember that little ones have been excited all day long about trick-or-treating and they don’t get started until very close to their bed time. They also probably had a very quick dinner, if they ate at all, before they got started, so they are likely to get tired and cranky quickly. Let’s try to remember that, if they don’t say thank-you for the candy. And does it really matter if they go through the bowl to find the piece they want?

I also recently read that many children who have autism really struggle with the costume thing. We can offer grace by smiling and handing them candy anyway. And let’s not forget the parents. Most parents have worked all day and rushed home to try and feed their kids before they rush out the door. Let’s offer them a kind word when their child is misbehaving or doesn’t say thank-you. They are probably doing the best they can. Maybe we could even offer parents a bottle of water or a Snickers Bar. The kids won’t eat those anyway. They like that fruity, gummy stuff.

Let’s all try to remember that tonight gives us the opportunity to be the face of Jesus. Let’s smile a lot and be kind to everyone who crosses our path. Let’s be a blessing to others as we work on extending hospitality. And let’s pray for the safety of all of those children and parents out there. Let’s pray that God will grant patience to all of the parents as they work hard at creating memories and keeping up with wild and cranky kids. Let’s pray that He reminds us to love everyone.

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” Hebrews 13:2

Happy Halloween Ya’ll!

Have an awesome day!

Wendy 🙂