Halloween Horrors~ Lea Sadler

"Trunk or treat!" Little children from my church smile up at me while I sit in the back of my mother's van. I smile to reveal the artificial, rotted teeth and distribute their treats as they all giggle and leave for the next car in the small parking lot. My attention is diverted to a tiny girl in striped stockings, a pointed hat, and a broomstick planted in her left hand. Something inside me breaks.

Halloween is a very popular time of the year, especially among young children and teenagers. What seems like an innocent night of harmless fun, might actually have some deeper meanings that people are unaware of.

The celebration of October 31st started many years ago when people believed this was the day that the dead returned to the earth. They also believed that dressing with fangs, or scales, or as powerful, intimidating, beings could make the spirits fear them in order to keep them away. First, the dead do not return to earth. God does not allow that. Luke 16:19-29 says, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ "

Have you ever participated in games such as "Bloody Mary," fiddled with Ouija boards, or seen a "psychic" who claims to have powers but doesn't know where from? These are all very dangerous. Though they may seem like innocent, childish fun, they begin to lead you away from God and stir up Satan's minions. You may not realize it, but when you participate in such things, Satan grabs onto a foothold. Messing with dark things are horrifyingly dangerous. Leviticus 19:26 and 31 say, "You shall not eat anything with the blood, nor practice divination or soothsaying...Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God." Also Deuteronomy 18: 10-12 says, "There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell, or a medium, or a spirits, or one who calls up the dead. For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord; and because of these detestable things the Lord your God will drive them out before you."

Now that you know a little bit more about Halloween and what God says about some of it's traditions, choose wisely how you will be spending your time on October 31st. Will you be taking your little sister dressed up as a pony to houses giving out candy? Or will you be sitting in an abandoned house reading cards, studying astrology, and calling up the dead? For me, the decision is easy: Christmas movies with my best friend :)

Did you know that Lea fractured her skull, her tailbone, sprained her back, ankle, finger, shattered her big toe and almost broke a cheek bone?!