We talk about being thankful a lot in our house but there often still seems to be a lack of gratitude. I believe we can and should practice gratitude on a practical level but until the spirit of thanksgiving takes over our hearts, we’ll never feel like we have enough.
For a while {and come to think of it, this is a practice we need to get back to} I would ask my children to list 3 things they are thankful for every time they complained in an effort to immediately cut off an ungrateful attitude and turn their hearts and minds towards all we have to be thankful for.
All of these efforts are so important in cultivating a culture of gratitude in our homes but the root of all gratitude must be a clear understanding of the love and goodness of God. When our children {ahem, and we} come to realize the depth of his love and goodness and live in that truth daily, we naturally and automatically express our gratitude through attitudes and actions.
What to Share with Your Child
Gratitude is the feeling or attitude of thanksgiving. We have so much to be thankful for. Even when we are going through hard times or truly need something in our lives, there is still so much to be thankful for. When we keep an attitude of gratitude in our hearts, we can more easily trust God to provide those things we may still need from time to time. An attitude of gratitude also turns what we already have into enough. When we are always looking for more or something else, we forget what we do have. But when we are thankful for our blessings we are filled with joy and contentment. God loves us so much and that alone is enough to live with gratitude. When we understand how much he loves us, our hearts will be filled to overflowing with thanks.
Ideas for Discussion
1. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:18 together. This verse says, “In everything give thanks.” That means in good and bad times; when things are going well and through difficult or challenging seasons. Talk about how hard it can be to find our thanks in tough times but that when we do, God will bring joy and peace.
2. Talk with your children about a difficult or disappointing situation that you or they may be experiencing. Spend some time looking at the bright side or thinking of ways to be thankful in spite of the challenge. This glad heart habit is learned but with practice can become a powerful practice for families.
3. Psalm 106:1 is a wonderful verse to memorize as a family as you discuss thanksgiving. The Bible instructs us in many verses to give thanks because God is good and his love is never-changing. All of our gratitude should flow out of that truth.
Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love endures forever. Psalm 106:1
Ideas for Activity
1. Create a Tree of Thanks. Grab a nice branch from outside and place it in a vase. Every day leading up to thanksgiving {or every day of the year if you’d like} write something you are thankful for on a piece of paper and hang it on the tree.
2. Make a Blessings Jar. Keep it on the kitchen table and add to it each night at dinnertime.
3. Each night at dinner or in the morning at breakfast, ask each other to say out loud one thing you are thankful for. Sometimes expressing out thanks out loud makes it all the more powerful.
3 Truths to Share with Your Child about Gratitude
1. God is good and he deserves our thanks.
2. We have so much to be thankful for.
3. An attitude of gratitude is contagious. When others see our joy, they will want it too.
Prayer
Dear God, thank you for the many blessings we have in our lives because of your goodness. Help us to remember to express our gratitude every day so we can be filled with joy. Guard our hearts from feeling like we need more or from comparing what we have with what others have. We know you will withhold no good gift from us because you love us. Amen.
How does your family express thanksgiving? Do you have any special activities you do leading up to Thanksgiving?
Such good tips for creating an atmosphere of thanksgiving in my home! I feel like I talk a lot about being thankful with my littles, but I like your suggestion to have them combat an ungrateful attitude by thinking of things they are thankful for. It’s such a simple way to put off the old/put on the new.
And now I want to make a thankful tree too :).