Teaching Tuesday/ Raising Grateful Children

It seems to me that if you blinked that you might have missed Thanksgiving, or at least the holiday. But as God's children we are called to let everyday be a day of "Thanksgiving"!

"Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you who belong to Christ Jesus." I Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

Easy said, but not so easy to walk out at times. So, how do we teach our children to have grateful, thankful hearts in their daily lives?

[Pic: Janiah, Olivia, & Elijah @ Secret Falls in NC. I'm guessing that they named it that because it's so far back in the mountains that's it's a secret!]

I believe that the only way to instill gratefulness into a child's heart is to expose them to the needs of others.

If we raise our children to live spoiled, self-centered lives, we will have spoiled, self-centered children. If we train them that life is one big on-going-party and do not show them others that are less fortunate by ministering to others needs, we are going to raise selfish children.

I remember when Christy, our oldest bio child, was not quite 2 years old and Christmas was approaching. I shared with her that there were other little kids that didn't have toys. We started a pre-Christmas tradition of giving away some of our toys each year to the less fortunate.

(It actually serves a dual purpose - teaching giving, good stewardship, and decluttering! All of which are good godly qualities.)

I shared pics of the waterfalls today that we visited in North Carolina, because they remind me of a teaching in Hannah Hurnard's book Hinds Feet on High Places. It's an allegory, so characters and things in the book represent real-life issues much like Jesus' parables in the Bible.

In her book, the waterfalls represented the pouring out of our love into the lives of others a we willingly

"go lower still, go lower still" in loving service to those in need. See the valley below needs the refreshening water from the falls to flourish and grow, and those less fortunate need the refreshing waters of our love and care to help them survive also.

Let's teach our children to "go lower still"! There's a world of hurting people out there. As parents we need to teach our children that it's our responsibility to minister to those needs. Jesus did!

I could give you a list of ideas to pick from, but Holy Spirit is a far more excellent teacher than I. Besides, He already has the person picked out for you to bless. Just stop and ask Him to show you someone that you and your children can shower with His love.

Dear Parent, as we approach the Christmas season, twinkling Christmas lights may put a sparkle in your child's eyes for a moment, but the "twinkle" that serving others puts in your child's soul will last a lifetime!

Blessed serving with your children . . . your are creating grateful children!

#TeachingTuesday #RaisingGratefulChildren