THANKFULNESS

It seems like God has been reminding me a lot to be more thankful lately. One of the things he is drilling into me is that THANKFULNESS = JOY! :) I've been trying to teach this concept to my kids as well.

Our Thursday night Bible study group is going verse by verse through the book of Ephesians (or should I say almost word by word!) Last week we were in chapter 5, where it talks about being an imitator of God and walking in love. It then goes into all the things we as believers need to put off when we're in Christ and the alternative to those things is "giving of thanks" (verse 4). I'm truly learning the importance of taking the time to name every little thing I'm thankful for. Sometimes I write them down, while other times I just praise God for them. From beautiful sunsets, to having a good homeschool lesson. Whatever it may be, I'm trying to show God I'm thankful for all the little things, as well as the big things, He's blessed me with in my life. I still have a long way to go in this, but I'm thankful that God has been teaching me this lesson in life!

I just read in a Focus on the Family newsletter last night an idea that I did with my kids today. I cut tons of strips of construction paper, and we each sat for over an hour just writing on them everything we are thankful for, and then we put them together into a chain. My plan is to continue this daily until Thanksgiving, and then on Thanksgiving, take the time to read through each one. I can already see the difference this is making in my kids hearts!