Traditions

It has been a long couple of weeks...

Our yard sale was a pretty good success.  For as hot as it was, we were able to sell most of our stuff, and have made around $450 so far for our trip.  We still have a few things left to try and sell, but that will help cover some of the costs of our journey.

Last week, we ventured up to Lynchburg, Virgina for the Mission Connections Celebrations camp with our "youth family".  This has been one of the annual trips we take with our youth, and an awesome place to see God at work.  It was a tiring week, but one filled with many good times, laughter, memorable quotes, and even some tears.

When we returned, the next night we had our last game night with the youth.  Who knew you could have so much fun just sitting around playing the Wii until 1:30 in the morning.  Then, yesterday, the youth threw Megan and I a "surprise" going away party.

The past three to four years have been filled with countless events such as these, yet each are different and special in there own way.  The thing about many of these events is that they have become traditions in our family of youth. 

Today, Megan and I somehow got into a discussion about dumb traditions vs. good traditions.  It seemed very fitting that we had that discussion, because so many of the tradititons in our lives will come to an end, for at least some years.  Thinking simply about the youth, there are so many traditions that have developed.  Here is a list of just a few....

• Christmas shopping for needy families
• Switcheroo dinner and crazy water on New Years (not to mention staying until 1 or 2 to watch whatever crazy stunt is on ESPN that year)
• game nights
• blitz weeks
• graduation dinners at Fatz
• Mission nights
• Harbor of Hope on Thanksgiving
• MC2 camp

While to many outsiders, and even members at the church, many of these may seem like silly, dumb traditions.  Yet, the thing we often forget after many years of doing something, is that it is a tradition for a reason.  I think sometimes we continue to do some of the things in our lives because it helps us remember the past and where we came from.  I think back to some of the firsts on those lists, and it takes me back...  I see how much the youth have changed, grown, matured, and I realize just how much they have changed and impacted my life. 

Whenever you try to follow God's will for your life, it never will be easy.  Too often I think we feel entitled as Christians to have the easiest path possible.  I mean, if we are doing what God wants us to, why should it be difficult, but we are never promised that.  All that we are guaranteed, is that God will never leave us.

On the ride back from Lynchburg, I was listening to a sermon series by Andy Stanley.  Something he said really stuck out.  Stanley said, "Even though God may be silent, doesn't mean that God is absent."  Think about that for a second...  How many times do we automatically assume if we don't get an answer automatically that God must have left us.

This trip to California will not be easy.  There will be many trials, tribulations once we arrive.  Still, regardless of what happens when we get there, one of the most difficult tasks through this whole ordeal is leaving the lives we have here.  There are amazing kids in our lives here... all the students that have touched my life at Chesnee High School mean the world.  I could not have asked for a better first school to teach at.  However, the kids that I love the most are my youth family at New Pleasant.  They can never be replaced, and I know they will always have a piece of our hearts. 

Traditions serve a purpose in all of our lives... they help us remember the past, and keep the memories of the ones we love the most dear to our heart.  Traditions always seem to come to an end, and new traditions will be made, but that doesn't mean we can't miss the old traditions and the people they involved.