From Gratitude to Legacy: Creating Faith-Filled Family Traditions

Growing up in my family, there weren't a ton of traditions, but one of my favorites at the Amos household was receiving breakfast in bed on your birthday. On the eve of your birthday, you went to bed with the anticipation of waking to a breakfast tray with scrambled eggs, toast smothered in strawberry jelly, and a small glass of orange juice, served on the family's blue “It’s Your Day Celebrate” plate. Looking back now, it may seem like a silly tradition, but it was a special day that honored individual members of our family, not only through gifts but also through love and service.

What are traditions really about anyway? Well, according to Webster’s Dictionary, a tradition is “an inherited, established, or customary pattern of thought, action, or behavior (such as a religious practice or a social custom).” It is a way to communicate from one generation to the next the history, customs, or beliefs held within a family of origin. After leaving Egypt and slavery behind (Exodus), God allowed the Israelites to wander in the desert for 40 years; however, in Numbers 13, Joshua and Caleb explored the land of Canaan only two years after their exit from Egypt’s slavery and their great exodus.

So, what happened? Joshua and Caleb returned to Moses and Aaron and to the whole assembly in the Desert of Paran, reporting and showing them the fruit of the land. They gave Moses this account:

“We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey! Here is its fruit. But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large...” Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” But the men who had gone up with him said, “We can’t attack those people; they are stronger than we are.” And they spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored” (Numbers 13:26-32, NIV).

Two years after the Exodus, the initial group of Israelite spies went out with Joshua and Caleb to survey the land God had promised them. During those two years in the desert, the Lord continually revealed His presence and power—leading them by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night, performing miracles from the plagues in Egypt to providing water from the rock, manna from heaven, and quail for food. Yet, despite witnessing these signs of His faithfulness and provision, the people forgot who God was, who He had called them to be as His chosen nation, and the future He was leading them toward. Therefore, because of their lack of faith, they wandered 40 more years in the desert.

Fast forward 40 years. Moses is dead, and Joshua has succeeded him in leading the Israelites. We are here again; Joshua has sent spies to assess the land. The spies have found favor with a woman named Rahab, and God is asking them once again to cross over the Jordan to take the land He has promised them. Joshua prepares the people to follow God’s presence, found in the ark of the covenant, carried by the priests. As the priests step into the Jordan, which was at a flooded stage, the flow of the river stops, and the Israelites cross over to Canaan on dry ground (Joshua 3).

When the Israelites reach the other side of the Jordan, God instructs Joshua to appoint 12 men, one from each of the twelve tribes of Israel, to go before the ark of the covenant, right where the priests are standing, in the middle of the Jordan, and to take up a rock from the riverbed. Joshua then takes the rocks and makes a memorial as a reminder: “In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever” (Joshua 4:6–7, NIV).

In Western culture, we lose so much meaning in our faith. The Israelites celebrate feasts seasonally to remember God’s faithfulness to them. Although Christians also have holidays, many of the holidays we celebrate have pagan roots or have been hijacked by consumerism. How do you re-instill in your children/family your identity as a Christian and build a legacy recognizing and celebrating God’s faithfulness?

This month, in the blog, I have been discussing gratitude. I want to encourage you to remember who God is and what He has done. Just like the Israelites, set up a memorial of God’s faithfulness, grab a stone, and begin your own memorial of the Lord’s goodness to you and your family. The picture attached to this blog is my reminder of God’s goodness to us—through our infertility—to bring us our kids through adoption and a surprise pregnancy 15 years into marriage.

Another idea is the leaves of the gratitude tree. In November, our family practices gratitude by filling out leaves at each family dinner, remembering all that we are grateful for despite the difficulties we face, and taping them to a garland or tree. The FREE Leaf PDF also has scriptures to memorize, pointing our children back to God’s character and His faithfulness. To get your free copy of the gratitude leaves, click here.

Prayer:
God, help me to remember Your faithfulness and instill traditions in our family that not only remind me of who You are, but also help me create a foundational family identity rooted in our faith in You. Allow us to have creativity and fun as we establish rhythms in our family’s year, celebrating who we are in You. In your name, Amen.

Application:

1.     Share Stories of God’s Faithfulness: Regularly tell your children and have visual reminders around the home of times God has provided, comforted, or guided your family. These testimonies become “modern stones of remembrance.”

2.     Celebrate Gratitude Year-Round: Use activities like a gratitude tree, prayer jar, or “God moments” journal to remind your family of His daily presence and blessings. To receive a FREE PDF Gratitude Tree Leaves, click HERE.

3.     Model Faith in Action: Let your kids see you worship, serve others, and trust God during challenges. Faith is often caught, not just taught. Find a local service project this month. There are many opportunities close to Thanksgiving and Christmas to serve others’ meals or Christmas drives.