An attitude of gratitude doesn’t just happen. It’s intentional. A person must choose to think on what they’re thankful for. This is why we need to teach our kids about gratitude. Gratitude journal pages for kids are a great way to begin.
Gratitude Takes Consciousness
Our ability to be thankful to the Lord takes consciousness. You see, a lot of what we do in life is subconscious. We don’t need to think too hard and long about most things. But gratitude requires us to consciously take time to think about what we have.
Gratitude Is Not About Things Or People
As a child of God, when we think on what we’re grateful for, we’re actually positioning ourselves to think on the One who gave us these things. To be thankful for what we have is partial gratitude. There’s more to gratitude!
David said in Psalm 30:4,
Sing praise to the Lord, you saints of His, And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.
David had lots of things that he struggled with. He had lots of heartache from His past decisions, enemies that were hunting him down, and a feeling of inadequacy. I think we can all empathize with David based on some things we’ve experienced in our lives. Yet, David still remembered and thanked His God.
In Luke 17, we read in verses 10-19 how ten men who were lepers lifted their voices to Jesus. Jesus healed them, and yet only one came back and gave Jesus thanks. And the one who came back was a Samaritan who were considered an outsider. Wow!
Jesus said in verse 18,
Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?”
By Jesus’ remark to the Samaritan, it reminds us that God gets the glory. He is so gracious and compassionate. How could we withhold from Him what is due to Him? A simple “thanks” to Him where we set our gaze on the Lord, is all it takes. Yet we’re so easy to forget and keep walking on our way.
FREE Gratitude Journal Pages For Kids
One way to teach our kids to consciously think about what they’re thankful to God for is with a Gratitude Journal.
Be sure to grab the FREE Gratitude Journal Pages For Kids below!
How do you teach your kids an attitude of gratitude to the Lord? What are some things you do daily to outwork the spiritual discipline of gratitude? I’d love to know!
Anchored in Christ,
Melanie
