The Role of Traditions and Memories in the Family

Traditions… memories … history … Have you ever considered what affect they have on us as parents and the development of our children? I grew up in a rural town in the Oklahoma Pandhandle with a heritage rich in traditions. For several years I was recruited to sell little, red poppies as visual reminders of the meaning of Memorial Day. I didn’t have red poppies this year, but I still began Memorial Day thanking God for all the fallen heroes who fought and died to protect our freedom. History is full of valuable lessons. Our traditions are closely tied to our past to help us remember and pave the way for our future.

Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. ⁸ Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. ⁹ Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

Deutoronomy 6:7-9

When the Israelites grew weary and disgruntled in the years between the time they escaped Egypt to the time they entered Canaan, God instructed them to remember. They had experienced some amazing miracles yet they were more focused on what they did not have and could not do.

It is easy to judge the Israelites, but we have a tendency to do the same thing. God’s command to remember extends to us as well. In Deuteronomy 6 we are instructed to listen, obey, and commit to “these things” and repeat them again and again to our children:

• No matter where we are
• No matter when it is
• In all we do
• In all we think
• Present God to our families and to our community

As a young mother, I wanted to obey this decree; however, I was not sure how to apply it in a modern society with a busy family. I came across a set of books authored by Gloria Gaither and Shirley Dobson on “Let’s Make A Memory”. They believed that “memories are the strands – beautiful or ugly – that create the fabric of our lives.” They believed traditions were very important in weaving a strong sense of identity and belonging – that this was the difference between a family and people living separately under the same roof. Traditions and memories became the glue that held the family together – and still does. Their suggestions for making memories and forming traditions were founded on scriptures. The more we weave Christ and the scriptures into the everyday lives, memories and history of our family, the firmer the foundation on which we train our kids to be strong men and women who are capable of living in our world but not be of it.

As I stated before, my childhood was full of memories and traditions. There is one such tradition my parents established when I was just a toddler. We had a doorpost in the kitchen that had color-coded marks for each of us kids. A new mark was added for each one of us every 6 months. When grandkids came along, they were also added to the wall.

Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.

Luke 2:52

When we moved to a new house, my mother painstakingly transferred that wall onto a long sheet of paper and reproduced it in our new home. It was still there until the day my parents moved out of that house. We don’t physically have wall anymore, but it does not matter – it is ingrained in our hearts with the knowledge and comfort of knowing we are important. We are loved.

The Role of Traditions and Memories in the Family