A very poor holy man lived in a remote part of China. Every day before his time of meditation, in order to show his devotion, he put a dish of butter up on the window sill as an offering to God, since food was so scarce. One day his cat came in and ate the butter. To remedy this, he began tying the cat to the bedpost each day before the quiet time. This man was so revered for his piety that others joined him as disciples and worshiped as he did. Generations later, long after the holy man was dead, his followers placed an offering of butter on the window sill during their time of prayer and meditation. Furthermore, each one bought a cat and tied it to the bedpost.

Traditions can be meaningful means of grace or meaningless rituals. Some traditions are beautiful reminders of Christ's love for us. Others evolve from personal habits and events that become set in stone and hard to break. Knowing which is which will help you to become a more authentic church.