I must admit, October isn’t my favorite month. Everywhere you look, there’s Halloween gear—from houses decked out like haunted mansions to puppies on my morning walk dressed as Chucky, the creepy doll. It truly unsettles my spirit.

First, as a Christian, I don’t celebrate the dead. And second, as a Jamaican, I didn’t grow up with Halloween. This tradition just isn’t part of me. Yet somehow, after moving to the USA, it found its way into my life. My husband sees it as harmless fun, a way for our daughter to enjoy herself.

Early on the Monday before Halloween, at 5:30 a.m., I got a call from my daughter’s godmother. She told me our pastor had advised against sending our kids out to trick-or-treat. Already feeling anxious, I promised I’d pray about it, knowing where my husband stood. Moments later, he and my daughter started talking about Halloween plans. I told him I wouldn’t be taking her, which nearly sparked an argument. To keep the peace, I walked away, praying for a solution.

With my daughter, I tried a gentle approach. “Pumpkin,” I said as I helped her get ready for school, “the Bible says we shouldn’t celebrate the dead. As Christians, we don’t dabble in the evil spiritual world.” She wasn’t thrilled. So, I tried negotiating. “How about I give you $10, and we go to the dollar store to pick out any candy you like?” She raised her eyebrow and said, “How about $15 and that $50 Sephora gift card in your wallet?” I countered, “How about $25 off the card and $15 for candy?” After a pause, she replied, “Let me think about it.” I could almost hear my Jamaican self sighing, “A wah dis yah?” (What is this?)

Once they left for school and work, I crawled back into bed, burdened. “Father, help me,” I prayed. “I don’t want a conflict, but I don’t want her going, either.” Just as I began to feel some peace, my husband sent a message reinforcing his stance that Halloween was “harmless fun.” My heart knew better—Halloween isn’t harmless. It can open doors we don’t want to open. So, I went back to prayer, and the Lord led me to 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 (NLT):

      “We use God’s mighty weapons, not worldly weapons, to knock down the strongholds of human reasoning and to destroy false arguments. We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ. And after you have become fully obedient, we will punish everyone who remains disobedient.”

I prayed this scripture, inserting my husband’s name, asking God to align his heart and mind with Christ on this. Then my friend called me, and I shared what was happening. We agreed to stand together in prayer and held on to that scripture all week.

Wednesday evening, my daughter came home, and with a little smirk, she said, “Mom, I’m gonna pass on the offer. I’ll go trick-or-treating with Dad.” I simply replied, “Okay, I’m praying.”

Then, Halloween morning arrived. My daughter was bursting with excitement, but truthfully, my stomach was in knots. Her godmother was praying for a mighty storm, and I was praying, “Lord, let Your will be done.” That morning, God reminded me of Psalm 133:1: “It is good for a family of God’s people to live together in peace…” So I knew my role was to keep the peace, pray and trust God.

That evening, my husband asked me to call a friend in the community to confirm their trick-or-treating plans. My initial reaction was, “I’m not calling anyone,” but the Holy Spirit whispered, “Shyann, be obedient. Keep the peace.” Reluctantly, I made the call and relayed the 6:30 p.m. time to my husband and daughter. My daughter scarfed down her dinner, raced upstairs to get dressed, and came back down dressed as a big white cat, ready for candy. She ran back upstairs to grab her bucket, but just minutes later, she returned in tears—she’d lost the bracelet her dad had given her only days before. He told her that without it, she wasn’t going anywhere.

With tears streaming down her face, she begged me, “Mom, please help me find it.” Though I wanted to say no, I felt God nudging me to help and keep the peace. We searched for a solid half-hour. Finally, I suggested she calm down and shower while I kept looking. Around 8:30, she came racing past me, bracelet in hand, beaming with hope. But when she presented it to her dad, his response was simply, “Thank you. Now go to bed.”

Inside, I was laughing and praising God. Later, my daughter returned, trying to sweet-talk me into reviving my offer. I gently reminded her that she’d chosen Halloween, and the deal was off. I smiled and said, “Bad choices have consequences.”

Friends, I took my prayer down to the wire. I trusted God, even when things didn’t seem to make sense. My encouragement to you is this: don’t stop praying, no matter how things appear. God isn’t limited by anyone or anything. If He calls you to pray and let it go, then pray and trust Him to handle the rest. He will come through—in His way and His timing.