Traditions

Due to rather large and growing circumstances (or should I say, my circumference? ha), we stayed home for Easter. This made me a little sad not to see our families, but my Dad and sis came up Thursday night. They took us out to dinner (sushi!), ice cream, and hung out on Friday. It was really enjoyable to spend time with them. Dad and Andrew did manly things in the wood-shop and Sis and I poked around a couple antique shops in town where we found a domed cake plate she intends to use in her new home as a married lady (hopefully happening sometime this year). :)

As Andrew and I have been together (dating & married) for almost 2 years, I am still discovering how many unique things are important to us that stem from our family's traditions/way of doing things. Even as generally like-minded as both our families are, there are still many things that are done differently or that special emphasis is placed on. God has been very gracious as we've been walking through this year of marriage and helped us to blend traditions, or create new ones for our own family.

Something my family did every year on Good Friday was to gather around and watch the old Campus Crusade for Christ video "The Jesus Film Project". Okay, okay, so I'll own up to not believing that my Lord was a white man with light skin, long hair and a British accent. In later years (thank you Mel Gibson), we would watch "The Passion of the Christ". Despite numerous inconsistencies between both movies, there has always been something about getting a better picture in my mind about what went on in Christ's ministry, life, and sacrifice. I'm not one for gore or violence, and yes, the more recent film carries with it a more accurate and gruesome depiction of Christ's sufferings, but it's sobering in a healthy way.

Because of this tradition, Good Friday was one of those days I looked forward to with a heavy heart. After the movie we would debrief as a family and reflect on what the Lord had done for us. Because of the weightiness of what we'd just seen, the evening wasn't mended in any way to make things happier, nor should it have been. This age isn't comfortable with heavy things. It's about speed, achieved results, having things the way you want them. At least for one very counter-cultural night as a family, we were intentional in seeking out the gravity of Christ's sacrifice. The result of this was an even more joyful celebration of Christ's resurrection on Easter morning. Placing focus on His suffering and death makes His resurrection all the more profound and meaningful.

Spiritual and not-so-spiritual traditions are things that add meaning to life. They separate the ordinary-everyday routine from the special or holy. They can give us cause to stop and reflect if they're handled in a right way. Knowing Christ is risen gave the sadness of watching a movie depicting His sorrows a greater purpose.

Considering the fact that we will soon be three; one soul especially in need of guidance, I believe traditions will become all the more important to our family. It will take some preparation and intentionality on our part as parents, but establishing traditions early on will bring more meaning to how we go about raising our kid(s). They will serve as another avenue for us to point to Christ and delight in Him as we walk through our days, both normal and not-so-ordinary.

I pray you all had a blessed Easter. Our Lord is RISEN!