Pressure points
There's decisions that we've made for our family that aren't popular. For some of the superheroes, these decisions haven't gone from the head to the heart. Dyna Girl probably has the biggest problem with Halloween, which we don't celebrate. She really wants to "do" it. I understand, it's fun, there's candy...I get it. She's not boldly rebellious about it; as parents we can just tell. And furthermore, both us parents did Halloween; she knows that; we don't hide that.
Halloween in particular is also one of those head scratchers to some of our friends. A mom told me yesterday that Dyna Girl said we don't celebrate Halloween; when asked why, Dyna Girl said something like, "That's a good question, you should ask my mom about that." Especially to someone who's religious, there's a fine line to walk to not sound "Holier than thou"; in our case, it's one way we consciously separate ourselves from the world, from a holiday that has it's roots in pagan festivals AND the spirit world. I know, I know...so do some other holidays, but the ties to the past are still strong and to us, step over that line.
But it's important to know about Dyna Girl's heart, to pray for it, to dwell on it, to mull over it, to talk about it. After all, it's all about the heart isn't it? If she follows now with actions only, at some point her heart will be free to do as she pleases. It's relatively easy now to make my kids do what we want, but it of course is getting harder. Lord willing their hearts will follow their training.
As I understand it, in particular connection to this holiday, hypocrisy is derived from the Greek, to act out, as in the sense of trying to being something you are not. If I've got a mask on, my kids will quickly see through it. Talk is cheap; walk the walk, talk the talk. ~Mr Incredible....out.
3 comments:
I grew up without Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, Thanksgiving, voting, blood transfusions, Arbor Day, Valentines, the Pledge of Allegiance...I think you get the point :) It was absolutely a way to be separate from the world. Did I "get it" when I was young - yes, like Dyna girl I understood the directives and even the meaning behind it. Don't get me wrong - your decision is VERY DIFFERENT from my parents, however, the point I'm trying to make is that as frustrated as I was as a youth to be different I understood the necessity of it. Now, as a Christian adult do I "do" holidays? Some...I love Christmas & Easter because now they have meaning to me (sans all the pagan tie ins)...we do cake on birthdays...I say my Pledge wholeheartedly and with feeling...and when it comes to Halloween we let the kids dress up in something silly (usually a princess & knight) and we go to the "pumpkin patch festival" at a nearby church. Yes, it sounds "trick-or-treaty" to me too, but at least there's a gospel message and fellowship. Would we let them go out in the neighborhood all willy-nilly in inappropriately scary or revealing costumes? Absolutely not! It's funny though - as a kid watching tv in the dark so nobody would knock or going to pizza and having to dodge kids crossing the street I always thought I was the ONLY ONE who wasn't out there too :) It's comforting to know that that probably wasn't the case at all! Great post Bry!! Electra Woman
Eh-hem...u mean, "Great post Mr. Incredible!" Phew, hopefully no one can figure out the next 2 letters of my cover identity.
Ah, EW, I forgot about your JW roots. The only person I remember as a youth not celebrating halloween was a JW in my elementary class. In many ways I respect their religion, there's in many accounts a sincere desire to follow their faith. Sure, like any followers of a faith, there's those that follow blindly and w/o conviction, but there is some substance there. Unfortunately, there's some serious doctrine issues there.
We'll have to talk, would be interested to hear more of your perspective.
...oops! I must have had my hands on the wrong keys Mr.I, so sorry! I guess I was feeling "wordy" last night because the jist of what I was trying to say was that the training has stuck, but only that training founded in TRUTH. There, does that cover the vast theological and doctrinal differences :) I'd be happy to discuss my bizzaro, door-knockin', JW childhood/youth but I warn you...God is good and He's wiped quite a bit of it away from my memory! I guess that's the good thing about leaving a cult :)
Also, when you put EW I totally blanked and thought you were putting "eewwwww" which also works in that sentence if you look at it the right way ~
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