Tradiciones Familiares, Part One

Today my sister and I had the privilege of teaching a class for the young women studying at the Facultad Teológica Bíblica Bautista (FTBB.) Our theme was “Family Traditions” and we used as a resource the book Treasuring God in Our Traditions by Noel Piper.

Of course, I learned just as much (or more) than I actually taught! I was reminded of the importance of establishing traditions not for their own sake but in order to purposefully and regularly direct my family’s focus to the Lord, remembering Who He is and all that He has done for us.

It was tag team teaching, with Jenn and I each covering different topics. One that she discussed was the idea of a family creed, or mission statement. We both liked the Piper family’s mission statement: “Our family exists to spread a passion for God’s supremacy in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ.” The students adapted this idea to their own families, using Bible verses and/or creating a family crest or shield.

The lengthiest portion that I taught had to do with establishing “everyday” and “special” traditions (this was borrowed directly from Noel Piper’s book.)

Everyday traditions were defined as:

Las actividades con significado y con propósito que hacemos más frecuentemente y regularmente, que dan forma a un día y una semana.

The most important of these were daily studying God’s Word as a family; faithfully attending church together; daily prayer as a family; daily prayer as a couple; and individual Bible study and prayer. Concerning the latter, Jenn and I were both impressed by the habit this family established with their children from a young age of having their own “quiet time.” The children would go to a comfortable corner with their Bible and listen to a Bible story on tape even before they could read!

Regarding special traditions, it was said that:

Nuestras ceremonias “especiales” nos anclan a nosotros y a nuestros hijos en el puerto de nuestra familia, reflejando nuestro refugio verdadero – Dios. La manera en la cual observamos a estas ocasiones – el enfoque de nuestra observación – tiene una gran potencial para mostrarle a nuestros hijos qué es lo que consideramos más importante y para ayudarles a valuar lo que nosotros más estimamos.

These traditions would involve birthdays; adoption days; weddings/marriage; funerals; and holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter. The focus of each was again the desire to glorify God and remember Him in a special way.

We asked the students to share their memories of traditions that had played a part in their upbringing, and it was a lot of fun to hear what they had to say. I think they enjoyed the class … I know I did! And I trust that it was beneficial to them as well. (: