In First Thessalonians 5:16-18, the Bible tells us to “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When the kids learn it for Thanksgiving, they memorize, “...in everything give thanks…” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (and I must add that hearing a 4-year-old say Thessalonians is one of the cutest things ever). Then we practice giving thanks. And for children who are naturally self-centered, it does take practice. If we were honest, most of us as adults are still practicing.
In class we think of all the things in our lives that we can thank God for, and then we do it throughout the day. We look for things we can thank other people for, and then we do it throughout the day. I challenge families to see how many times they can meaningfully say “thank you” in one day.
This is not part of a manners curriculum that all preschoolers need to learn. It is part of the spiritual development that all Christians need to learn. I have often heard people say that they are searching for God’s will for their lives. That is wonderful as He does have a specific plan and purpose for each one of us. However, these verses already tell us a very specific part of God’s will for our lives: spread joy, keep an open conversation with God going throughout the day, find something to be thankful for no matter what is happening around you. We may not be able to open the Bible and find a roadmap for the next ten years of our lives, but if we put into practice what we do read in there, I have a feeling we would be amazed at the results.
I’ll keep you updated as to how our little hearts of thanksgiving are coming along. I would encourage you to start practicing thanksgiving now if you haven’t already—and keep it up long after the season is over.
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