Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 11:18-20 (NIV)
How can we pass on our faith to our children? So many of us moms want to do this right, but we continually mess up in so many ways. Yet we want our children to see what is important to us. I think this passage in Deuteronomy is a great place to start.
This is the command given to the Israelites before entering into the Promised Land. Moses is saying don’t forget what God has done for you, keep reminders on yourself constantly, and tell your children about your God. Do that, all day every day. And post reminders all over your home of the great I Am.
As Christians, this is something we should still be doing today. We should be talking to our children about our faith when we’re at home, when we’re traveling to the next activity, when we’re getting ready for bed, and when we’re waking up in the morning readying ourselves for the day’s business (or busyness).
Daily reminders are important, and there’s also special days and times to celebrate. God told the Israelites to celebrate with feasts multiple times a year (Exodus 23:14-16). These traditional feasts were both times of remembrance and days to anticipate. These special days allowed for a break from the daily routines and allowed for celebration and remembrance to take place.
What can we do with our families today to add some excitement to our daily routines? Where can we add joy and how can we build anticipation for any upcoming holidays? The answer is traditions.
I just finished a book called Memory Making Mom, Building Traditions that Breathe Life into Your Home by Jessica Smartt. I am no good at planning, organizing, and implementing actives. I make so many plans in my mind, but fail to make them happen. This book has given me renewed energy and encouragement to start and continue traditions in my home.
I’m not talking about activities just for the sake of taking up time or to have something to share with our Facebook friends. I am talking about traditions that are built on the foundation of our faith. According to Google, the definition of tradition is “the transmission of customs or beliefs from generation to generation.” In order to make any new tradition I start worth my time and effort, I want the backbone to be my beliefs and the ideas that I want to pass on to my children.
I tried to read a different book about making traditions with kids, by an author I respect and admire. Sadly I was discouraged, because I felt like there was no way I could measure up to this woman’s standard. But I’m not supposed to be like her. She has different energies and capabilities then me. I can’t make my home like hers without expending way more energy than I should.
And that’s what I loved about Memory Making Mom. I never felt like the author was saying I should make my home like hers. Instead she says, “Traditions vary from person to person, family to family, culture to culture. And that’s the beauty; we decide what is meaningful, and we celebrate it.”
Creating meaningful traditions with our children does not have to be elaborate or fancy. But it’s something we continue year after year, month after month, or week after week (Taco Tuesday*, anyone?). Even if what we are doing is not appreciated in the moment, if we persevere over and over again, it will be remembered.
When my children leave my home and February 14th rolls around, I want them to remember “We love because [God] first loved us” (I John 4:19, NIV). When the weather warms up, I want my children to be able to see creation spring to life and and praise God for His rhythms and seasons. At thanksgiving, I want them to not only be thankful, but also to remember “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17). In the month of December, I want them to have an Advent Bible study that helps them focus on the spiritual rather than the physical (decorations, food, parties, presents).
And how do I plant these truths into their hearts? It begins at home. With me. Today.
After I read this book, I started thinking through the calendar to see what holiday is coming up and how can I talk about Jesus on that day. It takes effort and time to pass on our faith to our children, but won’t it be so worth it?
If you would like to read some more Bible verses on this topic, I have a downloadable study sheet for you! It’s free and I hope you’ll be blessed by it. Click here to download>>>Faith and Traditions DL
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*I know Taco Tuesday has nothing to do with Jesus, but some traditions can just be for fun. They still allow something for our children to look forward to and to look back on later in life.
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