This week I have been thinking about New Year's resolutions and traditions in the Cabrera household and even though I've tried to get some going... and making them special and memorable I think that its just “one more-thing-to-do-but-nobody-really-cares-about” tradition.
So I've looked up the definition of tradition: “the handing down of statements, beliefs, legends, customs, information, etc., from generation to generation, especially by word of mouth or by practice.” The second definition read, “a long-established or inherited way of thinking or acting and a continuing pattern of culture, beliefs or practices.”
I am realizing that the tangible traditions that we carry out are not the only things we pass down to our kids; the true traditions come from the heart.
For 2012, we are making a New Year’s resolution to focus on the spiritual traditions that we can pass down throughout the entire year in the Cabrera home. Traditions that will matter long term, and make a difference in the hearts of others.
Traditions like the importance about God’s Word and growing in Him; putting others first; caring about our sisters and brothers; honoring my husband; being respectful to parents and elders; being polite and considerate; forgiving others; and making Christ a priority year round, not just during the "holidays". But most of all, I don’t want these spiritual traditions to be passed down simply by word of mouth, but rather by practice... having my children seeing God at work in me. I know I need to live out these traditions in my own life before I can pass them down to anyone else.
The tradition of making Jesus a priority, is a tradition worth passing down. This year I pray that I will not lose sight at times of what is really important, but that God will help me to see ways I can build new spiritual traditions in my home which will impact hearts and lives for generations to come.
