We celebrated a late Thanksgiving dinner with three of our daughters and their families. Where most people have turkey with all the trimmings, we opted to have nachos with a variety of toppings. They were delicious and we had fun making and eating them.

Having nachos for Thanksgiving dinner made me think about our traditions and how they become imbedded in our lives. When we have a family dinner, we tend to take the same foods every time. Not only that, we also expect and look forward to our aunt’s apple pie or our uncle’s smoked turkey. Those things we look forward to are comfortable and wrap us in the love of family and life.

However, when traditions become more important than the reason we are celebrating, we need to reevaluate the reason we celebrate. We need to step back and look at the holiday and why we have it.

Do we look forward more to the food, and who brings what, than we do to rejoicing in freedom and family, and the gifts given us by God? Is our holiday ruined when those customs we’re used to are changed? If so, maybe we need to pray about what God wants us to have for a tradition or custom in our lives. What is important to Him?

In Luke 22:39 we find Jesus going to the Mount of Olives with His disciples. “And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him.”

In the book of Daniel, there is a plot against Daniel. If he prays to God, he will lose his life in a lion’s den. Yet, we find Daniel doing what he always does. “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem. He got down on his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” Daniel 6:10

Both Jesus and Daniel had a custom of praying at a certain time or in a certain place. Even though they both faced death, that custom was so ingrained in them that they didn’t forsake meeting with God. This tradition or custom was based on putting God first above everything else.

When the Pharisees questioned Jesus about His disciples breaking traditions, Jesus said to them:

“Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:

‘This people honors Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7:6-7

We must be careful not to allow tradition to pull us away from God and His will. Keep in mind what is important. When questioned by the Pharisees about the greatest commandment, Jesus said this:

“… “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

Having traditions like Thanksgiving can be wonderful as long as we remember what is most important. We must put God first – before the turkey, the dressing, the cranberry sauce, or even the nachos. Next we must love others more than ourselves. 

Meeting Jesus must be our custom or tradition every day no matter what. This holiday season make meeting with Jesus a priority and see how blessed your days will be.