We can always choose to let our light shine.
As Halloween draws near, it makes me think of the years when my kids were little and we went trick-or-treating. My neighborhood is very hilly and spread out, so another neighbor and I got together and organized a hay ride for the neighborhood kids. It was a huge success and became a tradition that we carried on for the next five years.
The parents enjoyed it as much as the kids because they got to ride along too. The neighbors enjoyed it because they got to hand out candy to several very large groups and then they were done for the evening. The kids loved it because they got a ton of candy.
One year, the weather forecast called for rain. The parents were concerned. Would the annual hay ride go on if it rained? But, that wasn’t what concerned the kids. The kids wanted to wear and be seen in their costumes. Raincoats would cover them up.
Many of them had taken a lot of time to put together that perfect outfit and whether they were zombies or princesses, they wanted to show off each unique outfit. My own two children were no exception.
I couldn’t stop the rain from coming, but I could do something to help them celebrate their creativity and stay dry. I went to Walmart and I bought every clear poncho they had. Luckily, they weren’t but a dollar. When I returned home, I assured my nervous kids that all would be well.
The evening started out dry and we loaded up the trailers and headed out. Eventually, it started to rain and as the kids began to complain about their evening being cut short, I reached into a bag and pulled out clear ponchos. I wish I could have captured the delight on their little faces when they realized that they could stay dry and show off their costumes.
The Halloween hay ride continued and everyone had a ball.
I always find myself thinking about that Halloween this time of year and I remember the life lesson I learned from it. There are so many things in life we simply cannot control. The weather is definitely one of them. Sometimes it’s going to rain. Sometimes it’s going to be dark. Sometimes it’s going to be loud.
While we can’t control those things, we can control how we react. Do we stay indoors and miss out? Do we go out but cover up our creativity and who we are? Do we just cower in the corner? We can do all of those things or we can choose another way.
We can get out there anyway. We can find creative ways to let our light shine even thought it’s dark, even thought it’s rainy, even thought it’s scary. We are each uniquely made and we aren’t meant to cower. We were meant to be creative and courageous, remembering that all things are possible with God and I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
As Christians, it’s up to us to bring some light into the darkness. When we walk with Jesus, we never walk alone.
A rainy Halloween reminded me. Perhaps you needed reminding too.
Have an awesome day!
Wendy 🙂