November 21: TEACHING THE CHILDREN GRATITUDE

The Apostle Paul gives a command in Colossians 3:15 that is not listed in the Ten Commandments: “Be thankful.” Simple and to the point and easily understood and easy to obey, especially if you are a mature Christian adult! There is nothing more unseemly than a Christian who doesn’t express gratitude to God and to helpful people.
But, what about the children? In this materialist and consumer-shaped generation, when and where do children learn to start “giving thanks”?
I think this needs consideration during Thanksgiving, 2007. Sadly, many children know only how to take and take, but not how to say “Thanks”. I was raised in Southern culture where consideration of the feelings of others was important and being polite certainly included saying “Thank you”. Being kind and courteous to people included verbalizing one’s gratitude. No question but that the ‘attitude of gratitude” in the culture was rooted in the Bible and was reinforced every Sunday.
The church also fostered a sense of community that stressed our duty to respect the feelings of others. The church broadened the horizon of gratitude beyond the material. Children were also taught, “Thank you for being my friend” or “Thank you for praying for me” or “Thank you for sitting by me”. Keep in mind that when we were created in the image of God, our nature, like God, was unselfish.
But as man rejected God, his thoughts turned inward on himself. Since that time, one of our major problems has been selfishness. Selfishness has destroyed many families. Selfishness has no time for gratitude and thanksgiving.
As parents and grandparents, we must teach the children to be thankful. Ungrateful children are described negatively as “spoiled”. Start by being an example and reinforce it with words.
“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) A simple prayer of thanksgiving before eating is one place to start.
“We are all your children, Father God, and we need to be taught how to
be grateful to you at all times. Help us! Amen”