Doreen Wennberg
Blog

I love the month of November though it ushers in the business of the holiday season, it’s a joy-filled time of year.

Other reasons I am thankful for it, well one it’s my birthday month, which I share with my husband whose birthday is two days before mine.

Two—I love the cool crisp mornings and the beginning of sweater season. Three—I love seeing the remnants of falls fiery colors hanging from the trees before winter sets in.

And last, childhood memories of Thanksgiving season the anticipation of festive family gatherings, and the feast favorites we enjoy here in the U.S.—turkey, stuffing, and pumpkin pie. Happy times to be thankful indeed—even if I eat way less of that than I used to!

While November is notorious for thanksgiving, God’s Word reminds us to be thankful every day! (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NLT). 

And like children, most of us are thankful when things go our way—it’s harder to be grateful when they don’t—so, making a conscious effort to model thankfulness in front of our kids— in all circumstances? That’s easier said than done in some situations.

As believers in Christ though our perspective is or should be different than the world’s view.

Modeling Thankfulness During Difficulties

When Paul says, in 1 Thess. 5:18, Give thanks in all circumstances, some cause grief rather than thankfulness. Death of a loved one, a job loss, a car wreck, financial loss, or any setback are just a few examples. It takes faith to give thanks in such circumstances. We may not understand the why at the moment, but God does. If we look beyond the situation, we can believe that God will bring good in all of them.

We can be grateful for the loved one’s life, though we feel the pain of loss. We can be thankful for the next opportunity that a job loss brings. A car wreck can end up being a hard lesson for all involved. And if we survived it—all the more reason to give thanks! Even in financial loss, we can be thankful that God can and will sustain us and help us to learn dependency on Him.

Modeling Thankfulness Through Prayer  

“Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name!” Psalm 100:4 ESV

In an excerpt from my devotion book, Daily Inspirations from God’s Word on the above verse, I wrote, Like all kingdoms, God’s kingdom has a throne. When we enter a King’s presence, we approach him with reverence and praise. Through prayer, visualize entering through the gates with a grateful heart of praise for our Lord and King. All prayer starts not with requests, but with praise and thanksgiving.

As parents, we have many opportunities to model thankfulness, and prayer times are a great way to help all who are listening, and hear what God has done.

 As we know, behavior is often more caught than taught. Kids imitate what they see and hear! Thankfulness in prayer is as simple as recognizing and counting your blessings.

Sometimes looking for the smallest thing in our day and giving thanks for it; like misplacing my keys or glasses or a lost toy! God sees and knows all things, and our thanks are also an acknowledgment of that. Our kids learn from us and see our dependency on God when offering up thanks to Him.

I recently read this from David Jeremiah. “Counting our blessings is a cultivated practice. It should be heard in our words, seen on our faces, felt in our hearts, and expressed in our worship. Wherever you live in this world, let every day be Thanksgiving!” 

Father,

Thank you for the gift of new life through your Son’s shed bled for our sins. Thank you for the great love and mercy you show us every day. Thank you for the love of friends and family. Thank you for guiding our steps, and thank you for allowing us to experience Your Presence.

Cultivate within our children a heart of gratefulness that is pleasing to you. Help us model gratitude before them in all that we say and do. ~In Jesus’ Name, Amen