Do you struggle in your home with complaining and whining? Maybe it’s not too bad, but you’ve noticed attitudes of entitlement starting to creep in? Maybe it’s worse than that and your kids (or maybe you too) just feel frustrated, stressed, and unsatisfied with things. A lack of gratitude or thankfulness can cause so many issues within a family. Does your home have an atmosphere of gratitude or just bad attitudes?
There have been so many times when I’m just down and sad and can’t even pinpoint why…..my mom would always tell me to just think about what I am thankful for. To be honest, sometimes I would be in such a down place, I couldn’t or maybe just didn’t want to think of something good. Ever feel that way?
I recently lost my mom to cancer. These last few months have been so hard. She was everything to me. I try to pull myself out of my sadness by thinking about what I’m grateful for. The things I loved about her and the time I had with her. I’m thankful for all the amazing wisdom she shared with me and the influence she had in my children’s lives. Not everyone had the type of mom I had, so I’m extremely grateful for the blessings I had with her.
So how do we walk in an attitude of gratitude?
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Rejoice always? Pray always? Give thanks always? That seems impossible, but when we understand that God is always there for us, walks us through everything, and will bring the best out of situations that are meant to harm us, it’s a little easier.
Paul wrote that he’s learned to be content in all situations good or bad because he learned that God is his source of strength. (Philippians 4)
How do we teach our kids to be grateful?
We all want our kids to learn to be thankful and have an attitude of gratitude, but sometimes it seems we just can’t get the message across. The world is full of selfishness, entitlement, and bad attitudes!! How can we instill a sense of gratitude and thankfulness in our children?
Last year I posted our gratitude journal that I started with my kids. Let me be honest….I didn’t continue it. It was one of those many things that I wanted to do, did for a short time then forgot about it when the holidays came and things got busy. I’m not proud of it, but I’m probably not alone. So here I am again, returning to this idea of instilling a habit of gratitude in the hearts of my children. Again, humbling myself and starting over.
Maybe that’s the first item to be thankful for…..second chances, new beginnings, God’s grace!
Will you start with me?
Start a gratitude journal! It seems simple, but it seriously has so many positive benefits. Getting into a habit of looking on the bright side, finding the good, and recognizing the positive, will set the course for a much happier future for all of us.