When Traditions Become Weights

Being a parent to teenagers can provide a cornucopia of lessons. As adults we struggle to instil our personal values, traditions, and morals. And at the same time, we watch our children strive to develop their own.

My daughter is the epitome of neatness and regeneration, while my son tends to take a more ‘relaxed’ approach to hanging up his clothes, discarding old things, and keeping his room generally tidy. Mary is adept at discarding things when they have reached their natural cycle of use and her 'Dad-management' skills have often turned to ensuring that I adhere to a similar cycle.

A few days ago I was rather confusedly looking around the bathroom in search of my nailbrush. Surely it had fallen to the floor for it was nowhere to be found. It was a few seconds until my eyes accepted the fact that there was actually a new nailbrush sitting on the side of the tub. But my old friend of a nailbrush, that had been with us for many years, was nowhere to be found. I had a nostalgic fondness for my trusty old Fuller Brush, but it was so old and worn that the bristles had turned over the edges.

I had to agree, a new one was not only in order, but a lovely and functional gesture on the part of my daughter. But I did feel a slight sense of anticipatory panic rise as I stared at my pair of hopelessly worn jeans, with no less than four different patches, hanging on the back of the door. I felt my pulse race at the thought of having them also disappear in a fit of teenage practicality.

OK twist my arm, I admit it. I’m a hoarder. Mary is a regenerator. And I have come to see that whilst carrying baggage around from the past may be comforting, it may not be practical or convenient. And this leads on to something more important.

Tradition is a wonderful thing. However, too much tradition can be restricting. You cannot have the benefits of what is new and effective and pleasing until you let go of the past.

The German theologian Paul Tillich wrote 'Whether we observe the growth of a living cell, or of a human soul, or of an historical period, we see that growth is gain and loss at the same time; it is both fulfilment and sacrifice.'

There is a dilemma here for the church and any institution, which treasures the past and sees that as an absolute to be preserved at any cost. Sure we look to our faith as security in the turbulence of life. But if we remain at anchor, we'll never experience the challenge of the open sea, never find the excitement of new discovery.


Heavenly Father, You set in process the flow of life. Help us to treasure what is useful in our inheritance, but give us courage to let go of weights that tie us to the past, so that we may embrace the future to which You are leading us. Amen

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