Monday, November 10, 2008

Gratitude is a Choice

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.” Psalm 107:1

November is the perfect month to reignite an attitude of gratitude. God wants us to be thankful people and live with continually grateful hearts. It changes the way we think and act when we choose to be less grumbly and more grateful. Teach your kids this week that gratitude is a choice. The Bible tells us to give thanks in everything. This month I want to encourage you to start a Thanksgiving Journal with your kids. Every evening before they go to bed, ask them to tell you one thing they are thankful for. If they are older allow them to write it in the journal with different colored markers. Help them think of one new and different thing each day, so they are not saying the same thing over and over again. Younger kids may want to draw a picture of what they are thankful for. This journal is to help both our kids and us to get in the habit of daily giving thanks to God. Even if you don’t have kids, I want to encourage you to do the journal for yourself personally each night before you go to bed. The more we give thanks, the less focus we will have on what is fearful or frustrating in our lives. Look carefully and be creative in thinking about the things for which you are grateful.

I Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 says, “Always be joyful. Never stop praying. Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” Sounds like a good passage to memorize, don’t you think?

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