Last night I was teaching Matt's class at church and we were talking about gratitude with it being the week of Thanksgiving. We encouraged the kids to take a moment to thank God for the gifts in their lives and for who He made them to be. Then we broadened the circle of gratitude by having the kids write a thank you card to someone in their family, sharing something that they appreciate about the person they were writing to. Then, with the limited time we had, we asked them to write a thank you to someone in our church family thanking them for their contribution. Once they were done with their notes, the kids delivered the notes to those who were there, including the custodian who works at the school we hold classes in. Minutes after they delivered the card, the custodian showed up at our classroom. He came in to say to the kids, with a tear in his eye, how thankful he was to receive their note and how he was going to keep it on his desk to look at every day. When he left, there was a brief silence in the room - and for those of you who work with kids understand what a rare moment like that is. The silence spoke volumes to me, that the custodian's words captured their hearts. We asked the class how that moment impacted them and one girl shared, "it didn't take a lot of effort to say thank you but it made his day better and he's keeping the card." And when we asked the class how they felt being thanked by the custodian, they said how it made them feel good.
Expressing our thanks to God, and others, shines light and love into the hearts of the receivers, and the givers.
So as we move into this week, let's make the time to...
pause. breathe. pray.™
Let's practice the same circles of gratitude the kids did last night. Let's take a moment to give thanks to God for the gifts in our lives and for who He made us to be. Then let's take a moment to give a call or write a note to someone in our family who we'd like to thank for who they are or something they've done for us that we appreciate. Then let's think about someone in our church family who we'd like to send a note their way. Next, let's think about the people beside us day in and day out, like a friend or a co-worker, who we can express gratitude towards. And then let's grow in the habit of seeing the people throughout our day who we can say thank you to, even for the simplest things; like a person holding a door for us, the barista at the coffee shop, the cashier at the store, etc. When we posture our heart with gratitude, we are aligning ourselves with God, and who He made us to be. Unspoken gratitude is like having a gift for someone that we never give them to open. Gratitude shared can make a difference in our hearts and minds, and in the hearts and minds of those receiving it, like it did for the custodian last night. So let's be a part of the difference we want to see in the world, and be vessels of love and gratitude, as we are called to be today, and every day.
Happy Thanksgiving friend! I hope you have a blessed week and your eyes and ears are open to all you have to be thankful to God for.
With love and hope,
Shawn
"Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.
And be thankful." - Colossians 3:15