When Traditions End

First of all, I’ve got an article featured at Faith Village this week. It would mean a lot to me for you to head over and share some comment love. Thanks! If you’ve coming over from FV, welcome!

I missed it more than I thought I would. The near-constant updates on Facebook and Twitter weren’t helping. A nine-year family tradition came to an end this weekend.

I’ve been mentally prepared to give up Lifest for the last several years. We purchase tickets a year in advance not knowing if we’ll use all of them or not. This year our party of four (or more) was a party of two. My ticket was unused.

I was ok with that.

Until I went through concert withdrawals in June. Until the schedule was posted. Until I began getting texts from my family and friends who missed me. (Well, really, they missed Peder Eide and maybe me too).

For my family, Lifest is an annual tradition. Missing it is like missing Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, or Easter. It’s missing family camaraderie. It’s allowing family memories to be made without you. Breaking traditions is part of growing up.

That doesn’t make it easy.

Casting Crowns

When traditions end, you have choices to make:

(A) Jealousy
(B) Prayer

Of course, being jealous is the easy one. Praying takes more work but it’s also more powerful.

When members of my family were attending our 17th Mark Schultz concert (you think I’m exaggerating), jealousy was easy. It took more effort to be prayerful for the attendees, the artists, the speakers, the Life! Promotions staff, the volunteers, the vendors, the Compassion children awaiting sponsors, the weather… I prayed that the Lord would do a mighty work on the hearts of everyone who set foot on the fairgrounds.

(A) Mourn
(B) Be thankful

Instead of dwelling on what you’re missing, be intentional about dwelling on the good you’ve gotten to experience over the years.

I’ve worshiped. I’ve laughed. I’ve cried. I’ve prayed. I’ve built relationships. I’ve got great stories–some have been blogged, some are better told orally, some will forever be cherished in my heart. I’ve grown in my faith because of experiences at a party with a purpose.

(A) Hope for the old
(B) Build new

It’s easy to want to go back to the way things used to be. Change is hard. Change means new and unknown things. Change can be good because it means you get to build new traditions, make new memories, and share new stories.

Change means that this year–for the first time in my life–I’m home for the entire month of July. That may be a new tradition I start because it’s kind of nice.

How about you? What traditions have been hard to give up (or would be hard to give up)? What are some new traditions you’ve been able to build because an old tradition ended? How do you deal with traditions changing?

<>< Katie

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