Do witches have husbands?

"Do witches have husbands?"

This innocent question came from our four-year-old sometime in mid-October. At first, I just chuckled and chalked it up to "funny things kids say." But then I started to wonder what made her say it. She had obviously been paying attention to the decorations and stories surrounding Halloween. The idea of a witch is usually depicted as an old woman, and in a sheltered child's view of an ordered world, a woman is usually a wife and comes with a husband. Logical enough.

What our preschooler has also perceived is that many things come in pairs. Think about what your left shoe would be without your right one, a baby without a mommy, cereal without milk. In fact, not only do many things come in pairs, they often need each other in order to function at their best.

I've also fielded questions from both kids about whether Jesus had a wife. No? Well why not? they demand to know. Oddly, from a kid's perspective, I think this is another side of the same question. If people were created with a need for each other, why did the one and only God-in-a-man-suit not have a mate? Good question. Then I try to explain that Jesus' bride was the church. That means He was and is devoted to us, his followers, the church today.

Now I am certainly not saying that people have to be married to be happy or fulfill their purpose. Not at all. But everyone needs love and support from others, even though we sometimes resist it. At the same time, we need to be needed. Whether it is our families, our careers, a cause, or a ministry, when we focus our energy on our chosen passion, we are better for it.

Or in other words ... Every witch needs a husband.