Thankful
A bunch of my Facebook friends have posted this as their status:
"Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now, if you think you can do it, then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge. Then post what YOU are thankful for today."
I *love* this...except for "the longer you do it, the harder it gets" part. Really??? How hard can it be to think of something, anything you are thankful for each day? Being thankful is how I began teaching my kids to pray. I think the concept of counting your blessings is easier to grasp starting out as a child than asking God for help at first. Each night, we start praying by thanking God for all of the awesome (big & especially little) ways we were made happy that day: today we thanked God that it's Daddy's birthday & that we love him so much, that Will & Annelise got to go to school, that they were healthy, that it was over 60°F in November, that Will got to get a haircut (a reward for him! he loves haircuts!) & that the haircuts were on sale so Mommy got to save her coupon for next month, that we got to buy toys for kids that don't have any other Christmas presents for Operation Christmas Child, that we had the money to get bubble tea afterwards for ourselves, and that we got to snuggle on the couch and watch "The Amazing Race" (one of our fave family shows) on TiVo when we got home.
"The longer you do it, the harder it gets" - I think exactly the opposite. I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to look for joy and blessings to be thankful for in everyday life. We're not all going to get a big wrapped present with a bow on it every single day of our lives, but if we learn to actively look at all of the little things that we enjoy as presents from God, I truly believe our joy levels will go through the roof! Every day, you will recognize more facets of your life where God has blessed you, and you can give thanks. The longer you do it, the EASIER it gets!
"Every day this month until Thanksgiving, think of one thing that you are thankful for and post it as your status. "Today I am thankful for..." The longer you do it, the harder it gets! Now, if you think you can do it, then repost this message as your status to invite others to take the challenge. Then post what YOU are thankful for today."
I *love* this...except for "the longer you do it, the harder it gets" part. Really??? How hard can it be to think of something, anything you are thankful for each day? Being thankful is how I began teaching my kids to pray. I think the concept of counting your blessings is easier to grasp starting out as a child than asking God for help at first. Each night, we start praying by thanking God for all of the awesome (big & especially little) ways we were made happy that day: today we thanked God that it's Daddy's birthday & that we love him so much, that Will & Annelise got to go to school, that they were healthy, that it was over 60°F in November, that Will got to get a haircut (a reward for him! he loves haircuts!) & that the haircuts were on sale so Mommy got to save her coupon for next month, that we got to buy toys for kids that don't have any other Christmas presents for Operation Christmas Child, that we had the money to get bubble tea afterwards for ourselves, and that we got to snuggle on the couch and watch "The Amazing Race" (one of our fave family shows) on TiVo when we got home.
"The longer you do it, the harder it gets" - I think exactly the opposite. I believe one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to look for joy and blessings to be thankful for in everyday life. We're not all going to get a big wrapped present with a bow on it every single day of our lives, but if we learn to actively look at all of the little things that we enjoy as presents from God, I truly believe our joy levels will go through the roof! Every day, you will recognize more facets of your life where God has blessed you, and you can give thanks. The longer you do it, the EASIER it gets!
such a great perspective...and insight too as i raise my little one!
ReplyDeletei agree, thankfulness does get easier when it is put into practice. i hadn't seen that fb posting, so thank you for sharing it with me. what a wonderful way to celebrate thanksgiving - use the entire month to make a habit of being thankful! love it!
ReplyDelete