God Help Me Raise Thankful KidsSample

Thanks and Giving Go Hand in Hand

Have you ever noticed that thanks and giving are two sides of the same coin? Thankfulness has a natural result—it leads to action. When we’re thankful, we see opportunities to serve others and share God’s love with them. 

Today, we read about the results of Paul’s thankfulness. His thankful heart produced action.

Paul’s immediate response was to pray for the church in Ephesus. He was thankful for them and wanted them to grow closer to God. One of the most effective gifts we can give to another person is the gift of prayer. It may seem like the least we can do, but God sees prayer as an essential act of service to another. Teaching our children the value of prayer and then modeling its importance in our family is essential. Prayer is the result of a thankful heart.

Second, Paul taught us another result of thankfulness. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we’re called to encourage one another and build each other up! When our hearts are thankful, we are called to pass that encouragement on to others. Children are often great at tearing others down, so it is our responsibility to teach them skills for building other up.

At Compassion, that’s one of our goals too! We seek to help children who are living in poverty have the hope and encouragement they need to succeed in life. We do this through “sponsors,” who give hope because of their thankful hearts.

Suggested Prayer:

Heavenly Father, may my thankful heart not sit stagnant. I want my thanks to result in giving. May I pass along Your blessings to others, including my children. Give me a heart of prayer for them and also help me to build them up today. May their lives be impacted by my thankful heart.

Activity Idea:

• Instead of asking kids to create a list of gifts they want for Christmas or their birthday, write a list of gifts they want to give other people.
• Research a service project you can do as a family and plan it out together
• Search through the Compassion Christmas Gift catalog  and select a gift for a child in need.