It’s a good goal, don’t you think? A child who feels they are entitled to good things is a spoiled child. You want to work to prevent that type of attitude. You want them to see God’s grace and mercy.
Here’s one way – Thank Him for small things.
In your prayers with your family, be thankful for things that you might be tempted to consider insignificant.
Beds for example – the typical American child’s bed, when considering all sleeping situation used by children down through human history, are in perhaps the top one percent, in terms of comfort. Shouldn’t we be thankful for that?
Or green grass. Since lawns don’t exist naturally, it is only recently that they have been a common experience. So if you have a lawn in your backyard (or near your home) which is comfortable to sit in, or picnic on, or lay back on, you are blessed.
Or Air Conditioning, or good drinkable water, or a safe home.
When it is 10 below, and I thank God for a heated house, I am trying to encourage my kids to think “Oh, yeah, there are people that are outside in this. I am thankful for this warmth.”
If your child is thankful for something, he is not taking it for granted. And then you just have to point them to the Giver of that thing.
What other things can we be thankful for that we normally aren’t?
Mmmm…this is a good meditation for me to start today. Thanks brother.
Just found your website via 22 Words. Great post my friend! This is a practice that we try to implement in our home as well. At dinner time and before bed especially, we thank God for table, chairs, plates, utensils, water, beds, jammies, pillows and linens, a ceiling fan {we live in Texas}, night lights, sippy cups, and so on. We thank God for jobs, cars, a solid roof, friends, and on an on.
What a great encouragement, I look forward to reading your posts in the future.
Thanks, that’s a good list of Thankable things.
great idea…in total agreement! i can’t even begin to count the things i take for granted on the daily.
[...] only Thanksgiving prayer The only Praise prayer The mention-each-child prayer The small things prayer The pray through a scripture passage [...]