My parents filled my childhood with all kinds of amazing stuff. Stuff like building puppet stages out of old boxes, creating a Halloween carnival themed birthday party, and setting up a tight rope in the front yard because my sister and I wanted to see if we could walk it. (Thinking about it now, that time was probably more my dad. Not even sure mom was home for that one…)
Halloween costumes were a big deal too. Many years they were homemade. Custom designed to suit purpose and creative vision. I learned my gift for making something out of nothing from watching my folks be creative.
One costume stands out above the rest. I think of it every time the first Halloween decorations hit the retail shelves. I remember it for two reasons. The first one being because it was so cool.
I wanted to be a robot, and my parents went to work making it happen. Two boxes covered in foil served as the shell, one for the body and a smaller one attached to the top for my head. They attached spray paint can lids on either side of the head like ears. Foil, flexible dryer tubing made the arms. It also used a C-3PO mask for a face. COOL!
(Did I mention this was the late 70’s?)
AND to make it even MORE AMAZING – instead of carrying a candy bag, Dad cut an opening in the front and taped a lunch sack to the inside of my costume. People could just drop the candy right inside the little slot.
The candy slot not only went with the robotic design on front. It was necessary. I didn’t have much range of motion. The boxy costume was awkward. The top box for my head couldn’t turn. I could only see directly in front of me. My line of vision traveled through the holes cut in the box, and then through eye-holes in the mask. It was like having tunneled tunnel vision. To make movement more difficult, once I fit my arms through the holes in the box and down through the tubing, I could only bend them at the elbow. However, the trickiest part turned out to be walking because the bottom of the box ended about my knees and didn’t allow for much stride. I had to really pay attention when I walked or my legs would hit my costume – wump wump. Wump wump.
But even with limited mobility, I was proud of my costume and excited to trick or treat. Well actually, excited and a little apprehensive describes my feelings better. See, I was afraid of the dark, and the creepiness of the season always nibbled my courage after sunset. It was Halloween after all. Who knew what lurked in the shadows. However, the idea of showing off my costume and possibly getting EVEN MORE candy because of my costume’s coolness mustered the courage I needed to head down the block with my sister while my parents stood outside and chatted with the neighbors.
About midway down the block, we came to a house with no lights shining. The yard sat totally black and bare except for one tiny sticker bush right smack dab in the middle. I think this neighbor kept that bush there just to keep us from playing ball in his yard and killing the grass. Who knows, I just remember my sister and I decided not to go to the door because the lights were all off.
And now we come to the second reason I remember the robot costume.
Just as we were halfway past – basically in the dead center of the darkened area – something jumped up from behind that loan sticker bush, moaned an awful holler and lunged for my sister and me!
Unable to turn my head and assess the threat, I screamed.
And I took off running in my box, wumpwump wumpwump wumpwump.
I had no idea what happened to my sister. But I could hear something chasing me.
SOMETHING CHASING ME AND MAKING HORRIBLE NOISES: “AEYYYYYY. AEYYYYYYYY.”
IT WAS GETTING CLOSER AND
I WASN’T GOING TO GET AWAY!!
Wumpwumpwumpwumpwumpwump.
“AEYYYYY AEYYYY. HEY TONI WAIT! YOU DROPPED ALL YOUR CANDY! WAIT!!!!!”
It was an older boy from down the block.
Dressed in gray rags like a mummy.
He had laid behind that sticker bush in the dark spread eagle waiting for someone to pass so he could jump up to scare them.
He too was very proud of his homemade costume.
But when I bolted, I kicked the candy bag loose from inside my costume. I lost all my candy without knowing it because I was wumpwumping for my life.
Most of the time he I thought he was chasing me, he was actually TRYING to return my candy.
Does this happen to you? Not mean boys in mummy outfits, BUT –
When you are in a dark season, or dealing with loss, or unexpected challenges
Do you find yourself running from imagined monsters – all the possible “what if” scenarios?
Do you lose focus when you can’t see the path clearly, and overlook the blessings provided during the tough stuff.
If you do, you’re probably human.
We all miss the trees for the forest sometimes. We see only the scariness of the big, dark Unknown, and miss the gifts, and kindnesses in the details.
I’m talking about:
The growth of trust, the encouragement from others, the slow steady root of patience trying to form. I’m talking about hitting your knees in surrender instead of hitting the walls of your boxed in ideas, and recognizing the lovely blessing in having that moment with Jesus.
In times of stress and darkness, try to remember our Heavenly Father is a remarkable creator. He not only designed you for a purpose, but He also designed the path you are walking. He’s filled it with amazing stuff to provide for you, protect you,
And challenge you.
And during the times your movements are limited and you have no clear vision for what happens next remember these two truths:
Jesus’ unlimited power is made perfect in your weakness
And NOTHING jumping from the shadows surprises Him.
Also, you may be wondering what my sister was doing while I was running away.
I have no idea.
And that’s the other thing about fear.
When we’re letting it chase us, we’re not able to support or encourage each other. And that’s just not acceptable. We’re all in this together.
That’s what it means to Love.
toni's thoughts from the shallow end 