1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to "Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." Giving thanks in all types of situations is God's will for us. Not only does giving thanks mean walking in obedience to God, it also gives us a new perspective on life. Instead of feeling frustrated and discouraged by all the less than perfect situations we encounter each day, giving thanks turns our eyes to all the good gifts God has given us, and helps us to realize that He is working even in the midst of the hard things. When we start giving thanks, our eyes are drawn to the glory of God, and our hearts turn to Him in praise, not just for His good gifts, but for who He is. We all know this, and yet it is so easy to forget to be thankful. We even forget to thank God we can breathe through our nose until a bad cold comes along!
So, giving thanks is God's will for us. It's good for us and our spiritual lives and our perspective. But we so often forget to be thankful! And here enters November.
With the holiday of Thanksgiving coming up at the end of the month, November is a natural time to turn our hearts to the habit of being thankful. Here are a few ways to cultivate a heart of thankfulness in your children (and yourself!) in the month of November with just a few minutes a day:
1. Make a thankful tree.
You could also make a thankful bowl, or box, or pretty much anything that holds small slips of paper. To make a thankful tree, scour your backyard or local park for a short branch with lots of places to hang little pieces of paper. Then stick this tree in a vase, and place beside it a stack of small pieces of paper with a hole punched through one of the side. You can use pieces of string or Christmas ornament hooks to attach these pieces of paper to your thankful tree. Each day in November, have each member of your family write (or help them write, for the littlest ones) one thing they are thankful for on a slip of paper, and hang it on the tree. Sometime on Thanksgiving Day read through all the slips of paper and reflect on God's goodness! You can save these in an envelope with the year marked on it. It's really meaningful to look back on past years as well!
2. Memorize a verse about thankfulness.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 is a great choice, but there are many to choose from! Just read it together 2-3 times as a family at breakfast each day, and you should all have it memorized by the end of the month!
3. Read a different verse about thankfulness together as a family, at dinner time or whatever time of day works best for you, each day in November, and spend a few minutes discussing it together. Pick out your own or use this printable list.
4. Three kernels of corn at Thanksgiving dinner.
Start a new family tradition and give each person at your table three (or five, if you want to do more!) kernels of popcorn. Pass a jar around the table, and take turns sharing one thing you are thankful for from the past year as you drop a kernel in the jar. Go around the table three times until everyone has used all their corn. This tradition stems from the legend that the pilgrims ate a ration of just a few kernels of corn a day their first winter in Plymouth. It can be a great tangible activity to help us slow down and thank the Lord! As Black Friday comes earlier and earlier each year, this is a small way to prepare our hearts for contentment amidst the waves of consumerism waiting to wash over us.
5. Listen to some music that will encourage you in gratitude on this Spotify playlist.
Bonus: Picture book recommendations to read with your kids.
Give Thanks to the Lord by Karma Wilson. This book is inspired by Psalm 92 and walks through a family Thanksgiving dinner.
Thankful by Eileen Spinelli. A look at thankfulness that combines the idea of vocation as well.
Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxes. This excellent retelling of the story of Squanto emphasizes how God used the hard circumstances in Squanto's life to lead to the huge blessing he ended up being to the struggling colony of Pilgrims.
Sharing the Bread: An Old-Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller. This whimsical book follows the preparations for Thanksgiving dinner, and has a nice emphasis on family and gratitude.
Thank You For Thanksgiving by Dandi Daley Mackall. A little boy waits for his turn to say what he is thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner.
Let's be intentional this November about being grateful, and let these beautiful habits of praise and thanks transform us and our children more into the image of Christ each day.
Soli Deo gloria