Scripture to Memorize
Her children arise and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
“Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
Proverbs 31:28–29
Passage to Read
When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” then tell them, “It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.”
Exodus 12:25–27
Dear Lord, thank you for bringing me into the promised land of life lived to the fullest. Holy Spirit, help me to live with such fullness that my children want to know more about my faith. Grant me wisdom so I’ll be able to answer their questions in a way that’s both biblical and relevant to their stage of development. I thank you, Jesus, for offering yourself as the ultimate Passover Lamb so that the Father’s righteous judgments might pass over all those who put their faith in you. I pray for each of my children, right now, that they will trust in the Lamb that was slain for their sins. I pray, too, that they will fully understand the magnitude of the cross and discover its meaning for themselves, rather than living off borrowed faith from their parents.
Father, throughout the Old Testament, you provided traditions to help your people remember important spiritual truths. Even in the New Testament, Jesus established communion as a routine reminder of his sacrifice and the call for us to pick up our cross and follow after him. Help me establish meaningful traditions for my family, traditions that draw us closer to you and to one another. Amen.
Personal
The children of the Proverbs 31 woman arose and called her blessed. One of the greatest blessings we can give our children is a strong sense of family identity. Children long for it. That’s the reason two of the most powerful words in any child’s vocabulary are “we always.” It means they have a sense of family identity. There’s security and confidence in knowing that certain things can be counted on. We always have breakfast together. We always go to Sunday school and church. We always pick apples at the orchard in the fall. We always decorate for Christmas the day after Thanksgiving. We always watch The Rosa Parks Story on Martin Luther King Day. We always make Irish potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day. We always . . .
Children show their need for “we always” at an early age. Every child has a favorite bedtime story they want to hear, night after night. And just try changing one line. They will go absolutely nuts because that’s not what the story always says. They want it to be predictable. They want to know that they know what’s going to happen next.
Life is unpredictable. Unexpected things happen and there’s nothing we can do about that. But what we can do is make sure that in the midst of all the unpredictability, we inject some predictability. We arrange for some “we always” opportunities.
My mother was the absolute master of “we always.” With eight children, she needed to inject as much predictability as she could. We always had the coolest scarecrow sitting in our front yard every fall. We always picked apples and peaches, and my mom always baked the most amazing fruit pies. We always had the best Christmas window decorations on the block. On the Fourth of July, we always had fireworks my dad smuggled from South Carolina into New Jersey. (Oops, maybe I shouldn’t have admitted that one!) No one in the world could make a holiday special like my mother—but I’m trying.
If you can cook, one of the easiest ways to make a holiday special is to have specific foods for certain occasions. My husband, Jeff, has a favorite “we always” from his early childhood. Every Sunday his family always had a spaghetti dinner at his grandmother’s house. In fact, to this day, he still calls her “Spaghetti Grandma.” We think children want variety. They don’t. They like tradition.
Since I can’t cook, I have had to rely on decorations. The secret: the day after the holiday, go to the store and purchase everything you can find. Immediately stow it for next year in your holiday bin. I always buy holiday paper plates, cups, and napkins on clearance. It’s a quick, cheap way to create a festive feeling.
Even if you aren’t a culinary artist, you can surely find one recipe—like a Fourth of July American flag cake—and make it the centerpiece. I purchased a heart-shaped cake pan that gets put to use every Valentine’s Day. If only I could find a shamrock-shaped cake pan, we’d be in business. Well, you get the idea.
Bring some predictability into your life with “we always.” You’ll be amazed at the joy and peace it brings. And it might just be one of the primary reasons some day that your children arise and called you blessed.
Affirmation: My children arise and call me blessed.
Make a list of your existing “we always” traditions. Use your calendar and your children to jog your memory. Ask: “Is there anything we always do in January? February?” Start with what you are already doing and think about how you can strengthen it. Also look at all the holidays—even the obscure ones—and invent creative ways to make them fun and memorable. Keep your eyes open for post-holiday sales.
Notebook: In the HOUSEHOLD section, create a page entitled FAMILY TRADITIONS. Jot down what you’re already doing along with ideas for what you plan to do in the future to create “we always” traditions. Before each holiday, be sure to review your list so you always do your “we always” activities.