I’ve died and gone to heaven… or the south, same thing

I am in a phenomenal mood, not that I’m moody or anything. OK, maybe a little bit but this mood is a good one. Why, you ask?

Let’s start with the temperature. I put the dog out this morning and I honestly thought for just a second that maybe, just maybe while I slept soundly, with minimum snoring and drool because this is my day dream, that my house had been picked up in the middle of the night and moved. Yes, the smells, the warm breeze, even the soft glow of the sun whispered, “Lauren, you’re not in Kansas anymore.” Which definitely added to my confusion because of course I had gone to sleep in Wisconsin but whatever. This is what it must be like to live in the south, this is what all the “Oh I just luuuuuuuuuv the faaaaaaalllllll, y’all,” is about. At 9:00am this morning it was 70 degrees outside and I’m told the high today will be 84. 84! That’s a July day not October. So that’s a really good thing. Plus, I’m pretty sure I smelled bacon and some kinda fried, frittery smell coming from both the neighbors homes too. It must be the south!

Secondly, my coffee visit yesterday went amazingly wonderful. We talked, I kid you not, for 4 hours. We talked about everything, just everything. I have my friend back and she hers. We’ve already made plans for the weeks to come. We’ve both grown a lot through this. Although I’ll admit something, I’ve always struggled with where to drawn certain lines. I like the black and white life. It’s easier for me to believe that everything is black and white. I struggle when things around me turn gray. Those are times when I make the wrong decisions or just run and hide altogether.

Just in case I’ve lost you, I’ll give you an example. I’ll call my friend, Jackie.

Jackie and her family celebrate Halloween. They see it as a fun kid’s holiday. We don’t! I can give you a million reasons why but I think it’s best summed up by saying that if there is the slightest chance that something is offensive to God (the Creator of the universe, Alpha and Omega, the great I AM, my Savior and Lord, the One who gives me life, breath, salvation and every good and perfect gift from above) why on earth would I take that chance? And I don’t believe anyone could argue that there is a chance that a celebration of evil, horror, fear and all things bloody and gory might offend the One who says things like, “do not fear”, “evil is there for those who seek it”, “for I have not given you the spirit of fear”, “whatever is good, righteous, pure, think on these things.”

ANYWAY… so here’s my struggle. I know that most Christians who choose to acknowledge Halloween as a holiday do not believe there is anything wrong with their decision. And you know what? Maybe there isn’t. Maybe I’m over reacting and keeping my family from something that really truly matters little in the grand scheme of things. But maybe their wrong and maybe it harms their walk with the Lord. Maybe He sees it as worshiping the idol of the world and all it has to offer. Should I be concerned with her spiritual welfare? Should I push the issue, try to help her understand my point of view? This is where I long for the black and white. I would love for their to be a general consensus from all believers about things like Halloween.

I used to be so sure of things. It’s easier to be sure when everyone around you agrees too.

I know how I feel about certain things, I know what I believe. I just don’t know how to live graciously with others who believe differently. I can fake it pretty good and those I’m with may never know I’m struggling with certain issues and how to handle them. But that is no longer good enough for me. I want to know exactly how God wants me to handle these situations. So, I’m praying for wisdom and in the mean time I’m keeping my mouth shut.

See, I have grown. Living in the south, the Bible belt, will do that to ya.