I’ve never understood Halloween. Oh I understood getting dressed up and going out to get candy just fine! But the darkness, the creepy, the scary movies, and the whole concept of “fear” being “fun”, no, I didn’t understand that.

Now of course, I was a rather tender child. I didn’t like scary movies, I hated being afraid, and I lived in a family that didn’t really do Halloween. Yeah, we were one of those weird families who handed out Bible Tracts with our candy at the front door, watching other kids have the fun of costumes and candy. I wonder what we seemed like to them? Were we actually any kind of witness? Or did we seem like we were looking down on them, with our plain clothes and preachy tracts. I wonder if any of the kids ever did read those tracts or if they instantly went in the trash.

We did do “Harvest Festivals” with our church, and those were fun! With hayrides and food and laughter, I wouldn’t trade those memories. But Halloween? No, we didn’t do Halloween. And I was fine with that, mostly. I didn’t want the haunted houses, sculls, blood and guts, vampires and horror, ghosts and zombies. How on earth was fear supposed to be fun?

I’m not condemning you if you like horror films, and the thrill of a good scare. But I hated it with a passion. I remember one time someone sent me one of those idiot little video’s where you’re supposed to look really hard for something and then all of a sudden this grotesque face pops out at you and screams at you. Oh was I mad! I chewed that guy out so bad! That was NOT funny!

So, why did I hate fear so much? Why when so many of my friends seemed not at all bothered by it all did it effect me so much?

Because I was afraid.

Ok I’m not saying my friends weren’t afraid of those things. I’m saying that I was afraid of more. I was afraid of the dark, of heights, of the unknown, of change. I remember as a young child being convinced there were snakes in the tub in the bathroom. Somehow it had gotten into my head that they had crawled up the pipes. I wouldn’t go in till my brother went in to check. I can remember many times when I was completely paralyzed by fear.

I still have a problem with it. I’ve known myself to let life pass me by quite a bit because I’m afraid of failure, criticism, or that people won’t like me. God’s been talking quite a bit about it to me, you see I’ve somehow let fear, something I’ve always hated and condemned, become an idol in my life.

What? Huh? What on earth does that mean? How can “Fear” be an “Idol?”

In American Christianity the idea of idolatry, or “Idol worship” in scripture and its dangers to us today is a rather foreign concept. When we think of “idols” we think about primitive people dancing around some type of statue, maybe beating on drums or bowing down to a Buda. When it is preached about we talk about TV, Pornography, Shopping, or Movie Stars. Something we like, and “give our hearts to.” But, in my opinion, idolatry doesn’t necessarily have to have anything to do with our “heart” and our “love.” At it’s most basic, an idol is simply something you “serve,” you don’t have to love it, you don’t even have to really like it, all it has to be is something that has more control of you then God does.

Let’s face it, when the Bible talks about what is in control of your life there are only two choices: God, (Spirit, Christ) or Flesh. (Basically everything else, including yourself.) Read Romans 8 as one example. We talk a lot about how Christ needs to be Lord of our Life, but again, so often we don’t really understand what that means because our society is so far away from understanding a monarchy.

Let’s make it simple. If God is telling you to do something or to not do something, and you aren’t complying with His will, then something else is “Lord” in your life, and if something else is “Lord” then you have “idolatry” in your life. It’s that simple. Either God is the Boss, or something or someone else is. Either God has your “service” or something else does. That’s Idolatry.

I’m going to give a few examples, but let me say first that if ANY of these examples is true in your life that I am NOT condemning or judging you, I’m just pointing out a truth. Honestly we all have to fight a battle against idolatry in our lives, and I believe Satan would just love to make sure we never recognize how serious it is, which is the only reason I want to make this point. We need to know that the little habits in our lives actually can damage us.

If you can’t control yourself around food, then food is an idol in your life. You are serving the food, the food is the boss. You’ve just been bossed around by a bagel.

If you can’t control yourself about porn, then porn is an idol in your life. You are serving the porn industry, bowing down at the idol of lust, it is controlling your life, you are sacrificing your time on its altar.

If your thought life takes a nosedive whenever you compare yourself to a model, then body image is an idol in your life. It’s dictated your value to you, controlled your thought process, and robbed you of your peace and joy.

If I choose to not do the things I should because I am paralyzed by fear, then fear is an idol in my life. Fear is calling the shots, and I am sacrificing my future, my calling, and my very life on its altar.

An Idol can be practically anything. Movies, Books, People, Places, Ideas, Emotions, Dreams, Goals, Desires, Riches, Power, Prestige.

I encourage you to take a moment and examine your life, take a moment and ask yourself why you aren’t living the life you know God wants you to live, or making the choices He wants you to make. Take those moments of spiritual failure and examine them and ask yourself who or what was calling the shots, and what you sacrificed in that instant. You might be surprised at the idols you find in your life. I encourage you to take that thing to God and ask Him what He wants you to do about it. Some things might need to be cut out completely, some might just need a little tweaking to kick it out of the throne you placed it on. For some things you might need outside help and counseling so that you stop going back to that altar. But don’t let it be. Idols rob you, of your time, your peace, your joy, and ultimately of God’s plan for your life. The cost of keeping “just a little altar in the corner” is more then you’ll ever realize. It’s simply not worth it.

Last night was Halloween. I still don’t really understand it, and I still don’t approve of terrorizing kids as an acceptable pastime. And honestly it’s the one holiday I can’t really find a fantastic life lesson in to use to teach my child. But you know what? Last night I dressed up my girl and took her to a local Trunk or Treat. Not because I think by this in some way I’ll overcome fear in my life, but because it was fun!

God and I are still working on fear, it still has way to much say in the choices that I make every day, but at least now I know how much is at stake in just letting things remain as is. Hopefully one day I can look back and see that we conquered it in my life and it no longer will control me. But this fight, like so many, is a daily thing, taking place in moment by moment choices, as I journey through life with God.

~Joy Aletheia Stevens

Photo Credit: More Pumpkins by Michelle Pellot  (CC BY 2.0) 

Photo Credit: Halloween Pumpkins by Justin  (CC BY 2.0)