Did you know you can make the best part of Thanksgiving last all year long? No, that doesn’t mean you can hide your Nana’s famous pie under your bed and eat it in July. The delicious food on the table may not keep, but the joy and peace that come from thanking God for your many blessings can and should be a year-round thing!
There are some commands that are repeated over and over again throughout Scripture. The most common is, “Do not be afraid.” This phrase is in the Bible 365 times! But God doesn’t just tell us not to worry or be afraid. He also tells us how to fight those feelings. Check out the next most repeated phrases in the Bible:
“Praise God”
“Rejoice”
“Give thanks”
God wants us to have hearts full of joy and peace, always. And he tells us that the way to do that is through giving thanks – not just by being grateful for our things, but by giving thanks to God. When we praise God, rejoice, and show him gratitude for all the good things he has made and provided, it’s much easier to feel the daily joy and peace he wants for us.
Read
God’s Word, the Bible, tells us over and over again to be thankful. Always, without ever stopping! When you practice this it makes you happy. So, why should we dedicate just one day a year to saying all the things we’re thankful for? How can we get in the habit of showing gratitude every single day? Read the following verses about gratitude. Then, think about what God is telling you about being grateful. How often does he want you to show gratitude? What feelings come from gratefulness? What feelings come from being ungrateful?
Do your gratitude
Here are a few ways you and your family can make gratitude – and the peace and joy that come with it – part of your life every day. We’d love to hear your favorite ways to do gratitude. You can write us an email at Saturday7@ncfgiving.com to tell us your favorite things to do.
- Make a gratitude jar full of ideas to help you feel thankful. Pull out an idea or two to discuss at mealtimes or on car rides.
- Bake a treat or do a chore for people who have helped you.
- Write thank-you notes to people who have been kind to you.
- Play a game of family charades using the things each person is grateful for as your prompts.
- Go on a gratitude hike or walk around your neighborhood. As you walk, thank God for things you see in nature, for your neighbors, or for your favorite shops and places.
- Make a family gratitude journal – a notebook that each person in your family can use to write down the things they are grateful for each day.
- Pray every morning when you get up and each night before bed, thanking God for the things you hope will be and for the best parts of your day.
Pray:
Dear God, thank you for your love that endures forever. Thank you for the people who love me well, the moments and things that bring me joy, and the talents you have given me. Please help these blessings stand out more than the things that make me sad, scared, worried, or mad. Help me to remember to give thanks and praise you in all circumstances, every day, so that I may have a heart of peace and joy.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
