Mark 7:6-8

He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: 

" 'These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. 
 They worship me in vain;  their teachings are but rules taught by men.
You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men. "

As I've been reflecting on what I learned at the Cincinnati covention (see last posting), I've been noticing parallels between my journey of parenting and my journey of faith. 

I was raised Catholic, went to Catholic school for part of my childhood, and was really unaware that any other religion existed until I, myself, reached the "logic stage".  As I got older, my mom left the faith, stopped attending church, and eventually became an atheist.   For me, there was never a point when I didn't believe that God existed, but I also didn't live my life according to His purposes.  When it came time to marry, Jeff & I went to the Catholic pre-marital classes and had a Catholic wedding despite his reservations.  It was my love of tradition that kept me a Catholic despite my own doctrinal differences that I had with the church.  It wasn't until I realized that Jesus, himself, constantly broke from tradition that I was able to take the step of faith and leave the church.  I realized that if I truly trusted in Him and Him alone, that I could step out of my comfort zone and begin my journey of seeking His will.  This was the best move that I've ever made concerning my own faith walk.  I realize that there are probably many Catholics who understand salvation and have a great relationship with Christ, but for me, it took that step of faith to really open my eyes and give me a longing to live according to His purposes.

The same love of tradition is also a hindrance to my walk as a parent.  I often find myself asking my children to do things just because it's tradition - not because it's how God wants me to train them.  I pray daily that God will show me His will for raising the children whom He has entrusted to me, yet find myself mindlessly sticking to tradition instead of really evaluating the true purpose of my actions.  My "mean mom" days, and "because I told you so" responses need to be replaced with a lesson on God centered focus.  I still need to expect discipline, obedience, and respect, but realize that it should be done with Him in mind, not my own selfish motives or need for tradition....