Treasure Found in Tradition

I remember May Basket Day on the first of May when I was a small child. My mother would help me make cone-shaped paper baskets, then we’d pick Lilly of the Valley and violets from the abundant supply in our yard and fill the little paper holders with fragrant blooms. The finishing touch was a bow attached to the little basket and tied into a pretty ribbon in pink, blue, or purple, ready to be hung on a neighbor’s doorknob. Next came the adventure for me—hanging a basket and ringing the doorbell before running down the walk to avoid detection. I could never resist looking back to see the ladies of our neighborhood come to their doors to receive the small waiting baskets.

While the giving of May Baskets had its beginnings as a pagan European spring festival, it later became a lovely tradition, now mostly lost to time.  Even first lady Grace Coolidge was the recipient of a bouquet left on the White House door in 1925 by two mischievous children whom she caught and gifted with her own garden flowers.

Traditions can be wonderful things that we tuck away in our hearts until the calendar comes back around to a special day or sacred event once again. Even the bible is filled with traditions that touch the heart of God and bring blessing to His people, as Paul reminds us:

The things [the doctrine, the precepts, the admonitions, the sum of my ministry] which you have heard me teach in the presence of many witnesses, entrust [as a treasure] to reliable and faithful men who will also be capable and qualified to teach others. 2 Timothy 2:2

Keeping traditions in our churches is sometimes seen as a negative thing in light of keeping true to positive change. But when it comes to biblical principles, teachings, and counsel, Paul says they are to be treasured and passed along to those who come behind us.

Many families have treasured traditions kept alive by older generations who pass them from their hands to the waiting hands of the younger.  What greater treasures could we  pass along to the next generation than God’s traditions?