By Dr. Jimmy Braswell
Chaplain, Home Hospice of Odessa
October is the month for preparations for, and the experience of, Halloween. It’s my favorite holiday. The others are “Holy” days – but Halloween is just for fun. Why are we attracted to it? There are a variety of reasons, but my favorite is that it is so illustrative of life.
Life is Scary!! Its full of the monstrous, the unexpected, and the frightening. We even love to be scared. We laugh or giggle after someone scares or startles us. We want very much for that to be true of life. After the unexpected, and monstrous come on us and we want to be able to giggle a little or laugh out loud at the inevitable fact that life is scary. Perhaps it is opportunity that All Saints Day follows Halloween… A celebration of the final victory promised to all of us after this monstrously unexpected life full of both pleasant and unpleasant surprises.
Suffering the “scary” part of life is a given. But we develop character through the suffering that strengthens us for what is yet ahead. God gives us the grace to enjoy and serve in this life even as we suffer the pain to find meaning here and eternal rest in the Kingdom of God when it comes.
Happy Halloween.
