Day 29: Growing Grateful Children
Scripture Reading: Deuteronomy 6:1-12
Like anything that God is growing in us, His intention in helping us become more like Christ is not merely to benefit ourselves but to help us inspire the same in others, to show them the blessings inherent in trusting the Lord.
If you have been blessed with children, you know that gratitude--like most every other character trait--doesn't come naturally for them. But few things are more remarkable (and unusual) in children today than when they're known for their thankful, contented spirit. It is a quality worth every once of effort we make to instill it in them.
And while teaching and instruction have their place in growing gratitude in our kids, the best teacher of all (of course) is our example. Do your children hear you thank your husband when he tackles a home repair job or gets the car lubed? Do they hear you express gratitude to the Lord and to others for both little and big things throughout the day? Do you tell them how grateful you are for their dad, for your church and your pastor, for their teachers, for the house the Lord has provided for your family, for good health, and for God's abundant blessings to your family? Conversely, do they hear you grumble when your husband delays dinner by needing to see one extra client or when you get a flat tire or the sun doesn't come out for a week?
Gratitude joins many other important virtues that are more effectively caught than taught. How contagious are you, especially at home?
GRATITUDE IN ACTION
- Sit down and talk with your children about the high value God places on gratitude. Tell them how they're going to start seeing some "gratitudinal" changes in you.
- You may not have children of your own. Who has God placed in your sphere of influence? What are you teaching them about gratitude by your lifestyle?
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