Perfect Love Casts Out Fear | A Ghost Story With a Gospel Message

The perfect love of Jesus casts out fear. A true story of how Love and kindness calmed the restless spirit of the ghost of a young boy.

In our home, Halloween looks a little different. While orange lights twinkle in neighbor’s windows and excited trick-or-treaters roam the streets, our lights shine for a different celebration. We’re already thinking about Christmas – not because we’re rushing the season, but because that’s where our hearts turn when autumn leaves start falling.

This isn’t a critique of those who enjoy October’s festivities. We understand the fun of dress-up and we keep a bowl of treats to share. But for our family, we’ve chosen to focus on moments that illuminate rather than those that might glimpse into shadows. It’s a personal choice, born from both conviction and experience – including my own childhood struggles with fear.

Maybe that’s why what I’m about to share might surprise you: I recently found myself telling a ghost story to my granddaughters. Before you question my grandma skills, let me share why this story is okay to tell little children.

An Evening with the G’littles

It started one evening when the g’littles stayed with us. As the girls’ boundless energy waned and they grew weary of play, we settled onto couches with books and stories. They’d spent much of the evening singing Christmas songs and reciting their program parts, their sweet voices carrying messages of God’s love through our home.

Then as we got out the bedtime story books, the littlest glittle asked for a witch story. I was slightly taken aback, thinking this wasn’t their typical ask. But we did have a ghost story we thought we could share.

The Boy Who Couldn’t Rest

Johnny was a young boy who drowned after falling through ice. His grieving parents, overwhelmed by their loss, forbade anyone from saying his name – even his siblings. They erected a handmade gravestone, which years later found its way to the local museum’s historic village display. The family, in an attempt to find closure, erected a new headstone on his grave and donated the old one.

That’s when something supernatural began happening.

Late at night, a museum worker would catch glimpses of a twelve-year-old boy running through the mock village, disappearing as quickly as he appeared. More unsettling still, Johnny’s gravestone would mysteriously move on its own.

A Lesson in Love’s Power

A nurse at the museum worker’s day job offered an insight that changed everything. Johnny’s spirit might be restless, she explained, because his family never properly mourned him. Her solution? Speak to Johnny with kindness. Explain about his new headstone. Tell him it was okay to rest.

The worker did just that, speaking gently to Johnny’s spirit. When he finished, he asked for a sign that Johnny understood. Moments later, an antique clock struck once – at an impossible hour. Johnny had heard, and finally found peace.

Why Tell Our Children Ghost Stories?

As I shared this story, my granddaughters’ eyes grew wide – not with fear, but with wonder. These girls, raised on Bible stories and Jesus’s love, asked thoughtful questions that led to a good talk about God’s sovereignty over all creation.

You see, Johnny’s story isn’t really about ghosts. It’s about how love – even shown to a troubled spirit – brings peace. It’s about how understanding dissolves fear. Most importantly, it’s about how God’s perfect love extends to every corner of existence.

Beyond the Shadows

Looking back at my own childhood fears, I’m thankful I had someone to help me understand that God’s perfect love is bigger than any shadow, any strange noise, any fear that might visit in the night. As Scripture tells us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18).

When Love Lights the Darkness

Today, when my granddaughters hear bump-in-the-night stories or face their own fears, they have a framework for understanding: Love is stronger than fear. Jesus’s authority extends over every realm. And just as a kind word brought peace to Johnny’s spirit, God’s perfect love brings peace to our troubled hearts.

We don’t need to seek out supernatural encounters or deny their possibility. Instead, we can rest in the confidence that the same Jesus who calmed storms and cast out demons walks with us today. His perfect love remains our surest defense against any fear – seen or unseen.