Believe it or not, it’s already that time of year, when we celebrate fear and parade around dressed up as monsters and other fictitious characters.
I’m really not much of a costume guy myself. In fact, my Halloween costume last year consisted simply of a name tag on my shirt that read “Bruce Wayne.”
Lame, I know.
But while this month may be the one time it’s socially acceptable to wear our monster costumes out in public, what about the rest of the year? We often don’t think twice about how much we can resemble those costumes on the inside and in secret.
When we selfishly and recklessly pursue the satisfaction of our own desires at the expense of someone else, we’re a little closer to that Halloween image than we’d often like to admit. And as scary as some of those costumes can be on the night of Halloween, it’s even more frightening to think about how we can live like a monster without anyone even realizing it.
The scariest part of the whole thing, though, is when you’d really rather shed that internal “monster costume” only to feel like you’re stuck inside it. You can struggle against it, like a zipper in the back that’s just out of your reach, but it feels like it’s not going anywhere.
That’s a scary feeling. We tend to never want to admit we’re unable to do something on our own. That’s often part of our reluctance in turning to God. Whether we’d rather try to handle it by ourselves, or whether we’re just afraid to give up control–the truth is that we are all in desperate need of help.
But there is good news, because just as easy as it is for someone else to grab that zipper you can’t reach, God can set you free in an instant! But it’s a choice we have to make to turn to Him, ask for help, and give Him control.
So, this year, as you’re choosing a costume for Halloween, think about this: what are you looking like internally?
Have you picked out that costume yet? Needing a change there? It’s time to ask for help. It’s time to step out of the monster.