I lift up my eyes to the mountainsā where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slipā he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
Isaiah 55:8-9 – āāFor my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,ā declares the Lord. āAs the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.ā
ā Today we are starting a “30-day Gratitude Challenge” in our homeschool. My sister started one about 10 days ago on Facebook so I joined her. It’s been an amazing way to start or end the day, focusing on what we are truly thankful for instead of the mess going on around us. My son does a daily journal, and in the midst of the Christmas “I-wants”, I thought what better way to refocus on what’s important then to write 1-3 things each day that he is already grateful for.
In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.
āDietrich Bonhoeffer
Gratefulness Challenge Day 10 – ‘Today Iām grateful for the gift of creativity.’ – Tiffany
ā Gratitude is a word used to express thankfulness and praise.Ā
gratĀ·iĀ·tude/ĖÉ”radÉĖt(y)oĶod/noun
the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.
ā Remaining in a state of gratefulness is a skill and it takes practice. Teaching our children early to be grateful and thankful in all things is a gift that will last them their entire lifetimes. It’s a gift that especially pays off in difficult times, as we can all attest to now. Not only that, but it’s God’s will for each of us. He always knows best.
Rejoice always,Ā pray continually,Ā give thanks in all circumstances;Ā for this is Godās will for you in Christ Jesus.
ā1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
ā Only a few days into the challenge, I have already noticed a huge difference in my attitude. I must admit it was getting quite stinky before I started. Getting burdened down with the cares of life, rising COVID numbers, being in quarantine, cabin fever, and various health challenges can just get to you. Especially if you let it. Being grateful can bring us greater peace and inner joy and it refocuses our gaze onto the positive things in life instead of the negatives.
ā When you’re in that state of gratefulness, it’s important to remember who it is you’re actually grateful to – it’s not some outer planetary source called the universe or some joojoobah energy (don’t know where I got that word from haha!). It’s GOD! He’s the one that supplies us with all we need and He does more than we can even ask.
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
āPhilippians 4:19
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
āEphesians 3:20
ā The Story of Hannah and Samuel in 1 Samuel 1 is such a beautiful Biblical testament to true gratitude. This story really shaped my life around the time we adopted our son (I of course ended up naming him Samuel). I encourage you to take some time to read the entire chapter, maybe for the first time or as a review. Here’s a portion of the scripture where Hannah shows here gratefulness to the Lord, saying to the priest Eli:
And she said, āOh, my lord!Ā As you live, my lord, I am the woman who was standing here in your presence, praying to theĀ Lord.Ā For this child I prayed,Ā and theĀ LordĀ has granted me my petition that I made to him.Ā Therefore I have lent him to theĀ Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to theĀ Lord.ā
Set an example – take the challenge yourself. I’m currently doing the challenge with family as a Facebook status on my personal page. You might not want to do it in such a public way but the one good thing about that is that it helps keep you accountable. Remembering to do it is key! Another way to take part is to buy yourself a beautiful journal and keep track in it. There’s lots of journals made specifically for gratitude challenges but if you’re wanting to start with us today, pick anything you have laying around the house and just do it! Another great idea is the many free app’s on the Apple or Google Play Stores. I recently downloaded a free app called ‘Gratitude: Journal & Reminders’ onto my iPhone. There’s also the ‘365 Gratitude Journal’. Be careful though. Some app’s require payment after you’ve already started (that may be okay with you, but just a heads up). Another super easy idea is Etsy! You can even buy digital downloads of pre-designed Gratitude journal pages. Here’s one example I found. So, start with us today and we will have a whole month of gratefulness posts done just in time for Christmas! What a way to celebrate Advent and Christmas (I already know what I’m going to post on Christmas Eve – guess!)
Have your child/ren start their own Gratitude Journal in your homeschool or home. We use the simple and free Google Docs app on my son’s school computer as a daily journal. You could pizzazz that idea up by using a paper journal that your child can decorate. They can colour a picture, take a photo of, or draw what they are grateful for each day. Go whole hog and use markers, paint, GLITTER, glue, found objects, etc. You could also try posting a white or chalk board up where they can post to each day. Maybe the whole family would want to get in on it if it’s up in a public space such as the kitchen. You could also have your child improve their writing skills by using this challenge to encourage them to write letters of gratitude to people in their lives, public servants, etc. The sky’s the limit! We are going to be making a ‘Thank you Health Care Workers’ sign for our living room window in art class this Friday. Join us!
Start a family gratitude jar on January 1st. Have your family write what they’re grateful for on little pieces of paper and in a year open them up! You’ll have an amazing list of things that happened throughout the year on your next New Year’s Eve!
Combine this challenge with a Random Acts of Kindness lesson. As I wrote about in a previous post on random acts of kindness, this would be a super way to combine gratefulness with this lesson. Have your child/ren write a list of people they are grateful for and then one random act of kindness they could do for each. In this time of quarantine there are still various ways you could do this. Write a letter, draw a picture, drop a gift at a door, shovel a sidewalk, send a text or email, call a friend or family member, share the love!
Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.Ā For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.
āPsalm 100:4-5
ā What are you going to do to show your gratefulness? Are you going to join me on this challenge? How about your homeschool?
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken,Ā let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe,Ā for our āGod is a consuming fire.ā
āHebrews 12:28-29
ā I would LOVE to hear from you if you’re going to join in! Send me an note! If you homeschool, let me know what your kids will be doing for the challenge! I’m really looking forward to doing this with you in community! Follow along with me on Instagram. I’m trying to post a “What are you thankful for” post on my Stories each day. You can even post along with me on there daily if you’d like!
ā” I haven’t been myself this week, have you? There’s so much going on in the world and, if you’re at all sensitive like me, you feel it. Boy, do you feel it.
ā” Let’s just take a moment to enjoy 5 little things…
1. yes! a cup of hot cocoa and fresh-smelling linens. what’s your favorite comfort drink? go grab one! I’ll wait for you.2. did someone say “beach”? picture yourself here with the sound of the surf and the warmth of the sand beneath your toes. How about a great read as you swing in the warm tropical sun? What’s one book you’ve been meaning to read? Get it – Kindle has some great options!3. this is me not caring about the elections and covid. ok that’s a lie, but let’s just let it go. maybe you’ve done your praying. you’ve refreshed the news on your phone for the millionth time. now, I double-dog-dare you to take your socks and shoes off and go run in the grass for a minute. go!4. here’s a cute puppy for you. ugh, so sweet! *boop, boop*5. prefer kitties? sorry, here ya go.
ā” Don’t forget to breathe deep, take lots of time to relax, unplug, and care for your physical health. Getting good nutrition, sleep, and fresh air/exercise matters. (Yes, I’m preaching to myself). I’m also a huge fan of reading the Bible and prayer. I found a new prayer guide (well, actually it’s very old but new to me) called the Book of Common Prayer. Sometimes we just don’t know what to pray and this is super helpful. Here’s a Collect for peace in the midst of the storm. Much love, friend. ā”
O God, the author of peace and lover of concord, to know you is eternal life and to serve you is perfect freedom: Defend us, your humble servants, in all assaults of our enemies; that we, surely trusting your defense, may not fear the power of any adversaries, through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. (BCP 2019)
