Autumn

 

"He changes times and seasons" Daniel 2:21  

I never thought about the Fall until I became a mother. My husband loves Fall and he taught our kids to have an appreciation for it. One year, as the kids watched the seasons change, my middle child said "mamãe, Fall is coming! We need to decorate the house!" I thought, "Okay, now how should we do it?" 

I'm no Martha Steward. I'm also a "less is more" type of person so we started small. We bought small pumpkins. We found a few decorative flowers in yellow, dark red, and orange. We placed them inside a vase. 

The kids were so happy to see those additions to our decorations. We lit fall-scented candles each afternoon. My husband always commented about how great the house smells with the spiced scent.  Fall is a feast for the senses. 

Summer is full of intensive activities. We feel energized. The Fall offers a retreat for the soul. It slows our bodies and minds. It draws us inside our homes. It offers plenty of opportunities to stop and think about the abundance of things we have. 

Over the years, our family developed recipes we only use in the Fall. My husband makes his award-winning "pumpkin surprise" cake. This recipe won second place at a church competition in Houston, Texas. 

We eat chili and cornbread. I didn't grow up eating chili but I learned to enjoy it during the Fall. The kids enjoy being creative with different toppings. Our favorite thing is to come together at dinner time and see how everyone decided to enjoy their chili. 

We bake pumpkin muffins and chocolate chip pumpkin cookies. We often share these desserts with neighbors. Part of the joy of cooking is giving away fresh baked goods to others. Baking is better when we share with friends.

We read year-round yet our book selection becomes significantly better during the Fall. When the kids were in preschool, I started gathering books with Fall themes. We only read those books during the Fall. As the kids grow older, we change our selections yet, we keep a few favorites for old-time sake. 

We created a playlist with Autumn songs. I taught the kids to sing "give thanks with a grateful heart" when they were little. We still sing it when we think of songs of thanksgiving. 

I think of all of these things we do as a slow start to the Thanksgiving holiday. My goal is to develop gratefulness to God for creating Fall. He changed the season. We gladly adapt and rejoice. 

The thanksgiving holiday is my favorite. I like it so much, and I want to be grateful throughout the season. Why wait until November if we can be thankful all year long? True thanksgiving starts in the heart. 

Autumn becomes more meaningful when we don't forget the heart. The heart is deceitful. You can have the best Fall decorations, the most delicious recipes, and an ungrateful attitude. What is Fall without a heart of continued gratitude to God? 

I can cultivate gratitude daily. How so? I start with the recognition that I can grow in gratitude. I continue my cultivation with repentance. I haven't always been grateful for the many blessings God generously gives me. I've complained. I've murmured. I haven't treasured the people in my life as I should. My so-called "service" to others was not motivated by agape love. I repent. God graciously forgives me. 

I continue this process by offering thanks to God. He is good. His mercy endures forever. Bible reading fills my heart with more reasons and reminders to be continually grateful to the Lord. Then, I do it all over again: wash, rinse, repeat. This process is like laundry, a continuing part of life. 

This Fall, I want to remember those who have are enduring difficulties. I think of those who are burdened by the hardships of life. God sees and He cares for you. He knows the tears, He knows your pain. 

I am praying for and with you. I understand that sometimes, it is difficult to see the beauty of the season. It is okay to feel as you do. It is also okay to continue to pray. It is okay to reach out and ask for help. Friends are often God's answers to the heaviness of life. Friends remind us of God's care for us. When we engage in friendship, we discover togetherness in trials. 

God created each season. When you are going through difficulties, please know that seasons change. Relief comes. Tides turn for it is God's design. 

I hope that you find beauty in the life God is giving you this Autumn. I encourage you to grow and nurture gratitude in all things. 

Thank God for the beauty of this season. Thank God the last season is gone. Thank God there's a season to come. 

These days, my family and I are enjoying each day the Lord gives us. We are watching the leaves change colors. We are mindful to give thanks to the Lord for Autumn. 

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Sunday Seven

 1. I love thanksgiving. It is my favorite American holiday. I think it is because we unashamedly thank God for all His blessings. We gather with family and we eat special food. Thanksgiving gives my heart a different sparkle if I can put it like that. A happy one. 

2. I'm glad most races are back in person. The running community is big, strong, and thriving. When we gather to run, I feel encouragement, strength, and joy. 

3. My husband's birthday is tomorrow. I adore Zeke, so celebrating him is a great joy. We met around his birthday 18 years ago so I actually threw a huge birthday party for him before we started dating. I know. Who does that? I do. I absolutely love celebrating birthdays because I believe that celebration is God's gift to be enjoyed. I'm looking forward to celebrating the most important person I will ever meet not only tomorrow but for the rest of my life. 

4. I watched a million cooking shows during the holiday. Most of them were America's Test Kitchen. If you never heard of them, you totally should. Other than family recipes, the only recipes I take seriously come from THE Test Kitchen.

5. Our family loves to travel. We were blessed to travel a few times this year. I recorded a podcast filled with travel tips I think you will enjoy. Subscribe to the Simply Cintia Podcast so you can be one of the first friends to listen!

6. I am thinking both about this year's goals as well as next year's. I believe that when I review my goals, I make peace with what is so I can press on to what's next. I found a good method to review my goals. I will explain it this week on the podcast as well. 

7. We decorated for Christmas before leaving home for the holiday. It was such a special time. Our family loves the Christmas season. We decorated the house, listened to Christmas music, ate cookies, and enjoyed dinner together. Our house looks happier at Christmas time. Thank God for Jesus. Without Him, none of this would be possible. 

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Habit Disrupted

Complaining is a habit. How do we disrupt it so thanksgiving can rise up?  Listen to today's podcast for inspiration

Click to listen!

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Recount

I love stories. Today, we speak about the power of recounting stories. Listen be inspired. 

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Give Details

We all know we should be thankful. Have you thought about including details in your reasons for thankfulness? Listen to this podcast and be inspired.

Click here to listen:

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Word Power

It has been said that words create worlds. Today's podcast speaks about the power of words to uplift and encourage others. 

Listen, share and review! Thank you friends.

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Grateful Thoughts

 

Today, we examine our thoughts. Can we 'just' complain in our thoughts? Click play to listen.

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Gratitude Journal

Hello there! I wanted to do something special for Thanksgiving this year. I am releasing short podcasts with the goal of getting us in the right mindset for the season and beyond! Here is the first one. Enjoy! 

I pray that these are a blessing to you. If any of my content helps you, please share them with a friend. 

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Gratitude Challenge

Today I share with you all about the Gratitude Challenge a few hundred of my friends and I enjoyed this year. Listen here: 

The Challenge:

1. Pray and ask God for forgiveness for being a complainer;

2. Ask Him to teach you how to live a life of Thanksgiving;

3. Read His book. Start with Psalm 142;

4. When you do have a complaint, ask yourself the following:

• What is the goal of my complaint? Is it to damage someone's reputation or is it to find a peaceful resolution?

• What is the estate of my heart as I complain? Do I need to forgive? Do I need counseling? Do I need to pray before talking to others about my issues?

• Will my complaint be fruitful? Do I need to learn more about the natural processes of life? Do I need to create a thankful heart instead of a complaining heart?

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How to get to Gratitude

Enjoy this honest episode my friends! 

Here are the 5 Principles I discuss in this episode:

1. Analyze your heart 

2. Repent from sin

3. Control your thoughts 

4. Verbalize your thanks

5. Seek God Daily 

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Thanksgiving and Holiday Healthy Eating Plan

Thanksgiving will be here in 6 short weeks. I find it important to prepare before we sit at the table with our family to eat. 

I often think about my health during the holiday season but it hasn't always been this way. I remember being so overwhelmed with the stress of family gatherings. I ate the food and I ate my feelings. I felt awful after everything was over. I had a massive weight gain that year too. Believe it or not, I also experience the joy that the season brings. The following year, I learned to analyze my situation and plan for a better outcome.

The analysis was eye-opening. I simply counted how many calories I consumed during Thanksgiving dinner. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce (homemade), salad, rolls, pecan pie. Of course, I went for seconds. Oh, don't forget about the sweet tea! We live in the South so it is truly sweet. 

I want to say I used to consume around 3,000 calories per holiday dinner. That number was eye-opening. That's when my approach to Thanksgiving (and holiday) eating changed. I learned that I can control a few things during holiday celebrations, including:

1. The food I put on my plate. I'm the only person responsible for that because I serve myself. 

2. How I want to feel before, during, and after the holiday meal. I am in control of my feelings. No one can make me feel a certain way. While others can influence how I feel, the decision is mine. 

3. How much I will move during the holidays. One year, I decided that I was going to cook, serve, clean and go for a run. It was the best decision ever. I don't always go for a run during the holidays but I plan to move because it helps both mind and body.

4. What the holiday is all about. I didn't know that I don't have to be paralyzed by stress during the holidays. I can approach it with a plan. This plan helps me decide what the holiday season is all about. It is not about avoiding difficult conversations, tough it may be part of it. It is not about food alone. I get to decide what the holiday is all about. I want it to be about thanksgiving and gratitude. I want it to be about family, laughter and joy. I know it won't be perfect. I can alwyas hope it will be good. 

I have learned to control what I can in such way that I truly enjoy what I eat, who I talk to and what I do during the holiday season. It wasn't always like this. I want to encourage you to think about what you want out of this year's celebrations and plan to achieve it.

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Thanks and praise

“Sing praises to the Lord, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.” Psalm 30:4 (ESV) 

The science of gratitude is quite compelling. In a study by McCraty and colleagues (1998), 45 adults were taught to “cultivate appreciation and other positive emotions.” The results of this study showed that there was a mean 23% reduction in the stress hormone cortisol after the intervention period. During the use of the techniques, 80% of the participants exhibited an increased coherence in heart rate variability patterns, indicating reduced stress. In other words, these findings suggest that people with an “attitude of gratitude” experience lower levels of stress.*

I used to watch a TV preacher lady who would say “Complain and remain. Praise and be raised.” I guess she was right after all. When I discovered stress was a problem for me, I was a 26-year-old newlywed. Marriage was amazing. Making the other areas of my life work was stressful. I didn’t practice a lot of gratitude back then. In the future, I am going to practice gratitude on purpose to help manage stress.

The Bible had a lot to say about praise and thanks. Growing up United Methodist, we often recited The Great Thanksgiving. Now that I think of it, that old text is so relevant for daily life but especially for this Holy Week. During the Great Thanksgiving, the pastor stands behind the Lord's table and says: “The Lord be with you.”

The congregation responds:

“And also with you.”
“Lift up your hearts.” (The pastor may lift hands and keep them raised.”
“We lift them up to the Lord.”
“Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.”
“It is right to give our thanks and praise.”
“It is right, and a good and joyful thing, always and everywhere to give thanks to you, Father Almighty (almighty God), creator of heaven and earth. By your appointment the seasons come and go…”

The combination of thanks and praise is uplifting. I just have to do it on purpose, from the heart.

Prayer: God, I know you are with me. I lift my heart to you. I give you thanks and praise. You are the lifter of my head and heart. Help me to continue to have a gratitude habit in season and out of season. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

* https://positivepsychology.com/gratitude-appreciation/ 

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Your story

"Oh give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples!"

1 Chr. 16:8 (ESV)

When these 40 days of no complaints are over, what story will you tell? Today, I want to encourage you to share what God has done with others. Telling our story can be a vulnerable experience. It can be downright embarrassing. 

I know I felt embarrassed to tell mine. How in the world someone fails on day 1 of a no complaints challenge when you work at church? Apparently, I’m that person who does that. Being transparent is part of my commitment to God. There’s no reason to sugarcoat my true state. I want to be honest about where God brought me from. 

I have been sharing what God is doing in my life during this challenge. I told a friend that because of God’s amazing forgiveness and grace, I am changed from the inside out. First, I don’t complain as much as I used to. That yucky feeling I had inside due to over complaining is gone. I have been meditating on the Bible, which brought much-needed joy to my life. I am a happier person than before. I noticed that even as I parent, I am changed. I have more joy. Who knew God could do all of that because I decided to listen to Him and stop complaining. 

The Bible speaks about sharing our stories in the book of Revelation. 

“And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death.” Rev.12:11 

We overcome by the blood of Jesus and by the word of our testimony. Your testimony is the story of your before and after. You basically describe what God did for you. I know you have a story to tell. What is it?
Don’t be embarrassed about where you were. Be glad that God loved you enough not to leave you in your former estate. He had an upgrade for you and you decide to take Him at His word.

Prayer: Lord, give me the courage and the opportunity to share my testimony with others. You are always moving in my life. Let me share what you did in me so I can encourage others to trust you. I submit my words to You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Not Oprah

“Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” I Cor. 11:1 (ESV) 

You can’t be what you can’t see. That’s why I always look for Godly mentors. My mentors have been a joy. I pattern my life after theirs because they are striving to follow Jesus and please Him. 

I’ve observed my mentors in every season of life. I’ve seen them do well in life. I’ve seen them grieve. They gave me access to their ups and downs. They also taught me how to properly live a life of gratitude. 

One time, when my family and I were going through a tough time, one of my mentors and I met for lunch. She heard about what I was going through. We didn’t have jobs and we had three mouths to feed. She carefully heard the things I said and the things I didn’t say. With wisdom and compassion, she shared about the time she went through something similar. She told me about the honesty of her prayer life. She told me about parenting during that season. Most of all, she told me to have confident hope because God is faithful.

I learned what real gratitude is because that dear woman gave me access to all of her life. We all need gratitude role models. Here’s my thing: it can’t be Oprah. While I love her, she is not a good one simply because she doesn’t live in my hometown. A great gratitude role mode does the following:

• Gives you access to their life - you have to be able to observe them and vice-versa. This is best done in person, over time.
• Gives you access to their “behind the scenes.” - When people give you access to the good, bad and ugly, you really learn who they are and Whose they are. 

• They will be an honest and transparent person with nothing to lose. - This is important. I have been able to see the flaws of my mentors. It had made me respect and love them so much more than when I only used to see their good parts. 

• They will tell you they are not perfect. - Nowadays, everything and everyone has a filter. We need to see and learn the gifts of imperfection.

• A good gratitude mentor is not given to gimmicks. - You and I know that some people will only mentor you if there’s some gimmick involved or if there’s something in it for them. Watch out for those individuals. You need to find a person who connects with your heart because God made that connection happen. 

Paul’s words are so weighty. Be imitators of me as I am of Christ. Christ was grateful. We need to find a role model who knows, believes, and walks in the gratitude that Christ displayed. 

Prayer: God, please send me a mentor who will model Christian values and characteristics. Send me someone who is the real deal. Someone Godly, whose heart will be submitted to You and Your ways. I pray that I can be a blessing and encouragement to them as well. I pray and I will look for You to answer this prayer. You are faithful and I am grateful. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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The story continues

 “Bring me out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name! The righteous will surround me, for you will deal bountifully with me.” Psalm 142:7 (ESV)

Your habit was completely disrupted for over a month. You chose to take 4 specific steps towards freedom: 

1. Recognize • You decided to be mature and recognize you have a problem with complaining. You can’t change what you won’t see. The first step is to own up to your failure. 

2. Repent • You decided to pray and repent from complaining so much. You decided to ask God to teach you how to live a life of Thanksgiving. When you repent, you say, I will not be a complainer. I will be who God wants me to be. 

3. Read • The best way to know what God wants from you is to read His book. My suggestion was to start with Psalm 142 because in the beginning, you are detoxing from a lifestyle of constant complaints. You have to see that God is not anti-complaints. He is the only One who can do something about your troubles. The end of Psalm 142 fills the heart with hope. God will answer me. He is good. Reading the Bible also helps us to change from a toxic mindset to a Godly mindset. When God’s words enter the heart, our words change from complaints to words of thanksgiving.

4. Recommit • This process is similar to taking a shower. You have to do it often. You will find yourself being tempted to complain by thoughts or words. You will be quicker to recognize. You will repent and read God’s word. Recommitting means I will do what it takes to live a life of gratitude. 

This challenge is not a cure for your lifestyle of complaining. It is more of an upgrade to a lifestyle of gratitude from the heart.

As the story of your life with God continues, you will find yourself repeating these 4 steps. I encourage you to be mindful to Recognize, Repent, Read and Recommit.

Prayer: Thank you Lord for this soon-to-be-over journey. Thank you for the lessons you taught me. Help me to be the person You are calling me to be. Help me to be humble enough to receive your help as many times as I need it. I want to be grateful from the heart. I pray for all of those in this gratitude journey with me. I pray that the world will see the difference you make in my life. When they ask about it, let me be quick to give You the glory for changing me. I thank you in Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Benefits

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits”

Psalm 103:2 (ESV)

I’ve heard of gratitude journals for years. I decided to purchase one to see how I can benefit from it. Some studies have found that gratitude practices, like keeping a “gratitude journal” or writing a letter of gratitude, can increase people’s happiness and overall positive mood. 

First, let’s define gratitude. Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough define gratitude as a two-step process: 1: “recognizing that one has obtained a positive outcome” and 2: “recognizing that there is an external source for this positive outcome.” 

Researchers call activities such as gratitude journals “gratitude interventions.” 

“A growing number of studies have tested the efficacy of various practices (“interventions”) designed to boost gratitude, such as counting one’s blessings (gratitude journaling) and writing letters of gratitude to people whom one has never properly thanked (“gratitude letters). These studies have helped to identify many of the benefits of gratitude described above.”

Today’s scripture encourages us to bless the Lord and not forget his benefits. He goes on to list a lot of benefits. Among them, forgiveness, healing, redemption, love, mercy….

Being specific about the benefits God gives us causes our hearts to be so happy. Recently, I had a very tiring day. I was extremely tempted to complain. I thought about the challenge and I held it back. I prayed instead. I grabbed my gratitude journal at the end of the day and I listed three benefits God gave me that day. I went to sleep so much happier. 

What are the benefits you can thank God for?

Prayer: Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Thank you Lord for all the blessings I have. They are too many to count but I need to count them so my heart can rejoice in your goodness. (list your blessings here. List at least 3). Thank you. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Seriously

 “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Proverbs 16:24 (ESV)

God takes our words seriously. I would like us to think about the words we speak today. Complaints come from the heart and are brought to light in our thoughts and words. Complaints can be useful. During these 28 days, we are allowing God to expose our complaining nature for what it is (sinful) and change us to be more like Him.
We can’t be like Him if we don’t know what His standards are. We find God’s standards in the Bible. The Bible says that gracious words are sweet to the soul and health to the body. Our words can bring healing: 

“There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.” Proverbs 12:18
In previous weeks, I shared with you about Psalm 19:14. We can actually start our day asking God that every word we say, every thought we think can be acceptable to Him. 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.”
Our thoughts are not hidden from God. Do not settle with the fact that you only complain in our thoughts. God wants your thoughts to be influenced by Him. Why? Here is one reason:

“The good person out of his good treasure brings forth good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings forth evil.” Matthew 12:35

Complaints in your mind are a sign that your heart needs to submit to the Lord Jesus. It is an alert that you need God to help you think differently.
I’ve been hearing my family and teachers speak about Matthew 12:36-37 since I was a child. Recently, the seriousness of these words of Jesus has been convicting. 

“I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

You and I will give an account for every complaining word. Pause and think about that. Now, do you know why God is calling you to change your heart and therefore, your words?

Prayer: Jesus, may my words be gracious as yours. May by tongue bring healing as yours did. May my thoughts be pleasing to you so I don’t feel I need to hide them. May I bring good treasure out of my heart so I can stand before you one day, unashamed of the words I spoke. Make me wise in speech, just like You. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Wonders

"And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem."

Luke 2:38 (ESV)

It’s amazing how people choose to use their words. The Toronto Star wrote about how travelers complained to their travel agents about their experiences: 

• “On my holiday to India, I was disgusted to find that almost every restaurant served curry. I don’t like spicy food at all.”

• A guest at a Novotel in Australia complained that his soup was too thick. He was inadvertently slurping gravy.

• Following a trip to a national theme park, one angry woman complained that the sun was so hot it melted her ice cream.

• An air traveler voiced her disapproval of all the clouds in the sky, saying they ruined her children’s game of Eye Spy.

If you look for reasons to complain, you will find them. Today’s scripture is about someone who had many reasons to complain. Anna was a widow. We don’t know any details about her marriage, only that it wasn’t long enough. She had been a widow longer than she had been with the love of her life. Talk about many reasons to complain. 

Instead, she chose not to depart from the temple. She would pray and fast day and night. I believe that her choice probably allowed her to go from widow to prophetess. When she saw Joseph, Mary and Jesus, she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him (Jesus) to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Sometimes God wants to show us great things. Our choice to complain blinds us from seeing God’s blessings. 

Anna could have been self-centered. She decided to be God-centered. As she prayed, fasted, waited, God allowed her to see His Son, the redeemer of the world. 

God wants you to see great things. Only when you stop looking at your unfortunate as a life sentence you can embrace what God has for you. 

I know that life happens. The blessing is that none of this is a surprise to God. Take your cares to Him. Invest time seeking Him and His word. I guarantee you He will start showing You His wonders.

Prayer: Lord, help me to be wise in the use of my time. Help me use it for your glory. May my words be used to glorify you, not to complain. Open my eyes to see your wonders. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Thoughts and decisions

“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!”
Psalm 97:12 (ESV)

A lifestyle of complaining causes people to make stupid decisions. A man who robbed a Wendy’s in Atlanta was so put off by his skimpy haul that he called the restaurant twice to complain. That’s better than what police say Arthur Bundrage did. Bundrage approached a Syracuse, New York, bank teller and demanded $20,000. When he got home, he discovered he’d been shortchanged. Outraged, he stormed back to the bank to tell them what he thought of their service. That’s when he was arrested.

Our thoughts determine our decisions. How we think determines how grateful we are. Grateful people think differently than most.

Christians are encouraged to give thanks to God. Let’s make this very practical. Yesterday, my kids and I were praying on our knees. We started with prayers of gratitude. 

We had to stop and really think about what we were thankful for. It took us a little while but then, we couldn’t stop. The minute a thought came to our heads, we spoke. “God, thank you for this home you gave us.” One year ago, our other home flooded. Finding homes in our area to fit our needs was challenging.

God in His mercy, gave us this home a year ago. It felt perfect the day we moved in. We have been grateful. We haven’t verbalized it as much as we should so we did. Other things came to mind. Family, friends, and church. Health and recovery from COVID-19.

When we got up from our knees, the kids said “that was really nice.”

My encouragement for you and me is to take the time to think:

• Encouragement, not control; 

• Investing, not wasting; 

• Possibilities, not problems. 

Friend, you are moving in the direction of your strongest thoughts.  Your day is always moving in the direction of your thoughts. If you find yourself complaining, change your thoughts. Think as God would want you to think. Turn those complaints into Godly petitions.  

The results of our actions can be traced by the strongest thoughts we think. Are you okay with your thoughts? 

Prayer: God who made the mind, take control of my thoughts. Cleanse my mind so it can please you. May the meditation of my heart be pleasing unto you. Remind me to feed my mind with your words daily. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Children

“give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”

I Thes. 5:18 (ESV)

I remember focusing a lot on teaching my children to be thankful. The short-term goal  I wanted them to say “thanks” when they received a gift. The long-term goal still is to raise grateful human beings. 

There are a few studies that analyzed how parents influence children’s gratitude experiences. 

During one study of fourth and fifth-grade students and their biological parents, a small but statistically significant relationship between the self-reported gratitude of the children and their mothers were found, but not between the children and their fathers. 

A different study explored why more grateful parents might have more grateful children. The results were that more dispositionally grateful parents were more likely to place their children in situations that might evoke feelings of gratitude, such as volunteering for people in need. 

I can tell that these parents were teaching gratefulness on purpose. Here are a few tips: 

1. Change your Mind - You can't give what you don't have so if like me you have a problem with complaining, change your mindset. The easiest way to renew your mind and enter into a thanksgiving lifestyle is to know what God has to say about it. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says "In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." God wants us to live with a thankful disposition. Thankful people have a different way of interpreting the world because they see things from a Godly perspective.

2. Practice what you Preach - My father started jogging in his 40s and he also increased the nutrition in his food choices. Only after I saw his change I believed that I too could live a healthier lifestyle. More was caught than countless hours of teaching. In the same manner, we teach our children to be thankful by modeling gratefulness. How often do you thank people for doing things for you on a regular basis? How often are you specific about your reasons to be grateful? Be bold in practicing Thanksgiving in front of your kids because they are eagerly absorbing your behavior.

3. Make it Fun and Purposeful - Be sure that the Thanksgiving activities you do with your kids have a purpose. You can teach kids to be thankful for others by making Thank You cards or crafts and actually delivering them to different people. This way your kids will be able to see the impact of thanksgiving in the heart of the recipient. Mealtimes are natural, daily times to teach children to be thankful. You can tell your kids that Jesus was thankful for His food (Luke 22:19) and so should we. This year when you think of Thanksgiving crafts, make it purposeful by showing your kids that thanksgiving is a blessing to others. If you have adult children, you can share this challenge with them. You can tell them what you are learning. You can also pick their brain and ask what do they think about the relationship between thanksgiving and complaining. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help us to model a life of thanksgiving so our children will want to be thankful. They can’t be what they can’t see. So let them see You shine through me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

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