Guest - Cindy Beall
Is Your Heart Grateful?
Teaching gratitude to my sons has proven to be one of the most difficult tasks I’ve faced as their mother.
They are such blessed little boys. They have parents who are still married and crazy about each other. They never have to think about their next meal. They have friends out the wazoo vying for their attention on a daily basis. And when they need new clothes, we are able to get them.
Boys sure are tough on blue jeans, if you know what I’m sayin’.
But I think the greatest thing I’ve learned is that teaching them gratitude has to be modeled by their teacher. I must model my gratitude by expressing on a daily basis how thankful I am for the life I live and for those who live this life with me.
A difficult task it is but a necessary one. An absolutely necessary one.
The song I Will Not Forget You by 100 Portraits is one that resonates in my heart as I live this life I’ve been given. I hope it does in yours, too.
A grateful heart I bring, a thankful prayer I pray, a wild dance I dance before you. A loud song I sing, a huge bell I ring, a life of praise I live before you.
Now, put on your dancin’ shoes and get at it.
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Great stuff Cindy. The old adage more is caught than taught sure is true. My kids are 16 and 18 and I believe this more today than ever.
I believe our lack of thankfulness to our Heavenly
Father is a key contributor to our children not be thankful people. They don’t even have to hear our thanks, but I really think they catch something when we are thankful people.
As a parent of teens I have talked a good talk, but it’s my walk that has had the impact. Trust me, I have failed enough to make this statement. Live Christ before your children.
Absolutely 100% right on cindy. I now have two grown daughters and even now need to remember that they are listening to dad on the phone or in person when they are around. The oldest especially picks up subtle and some not subtle nuances in my blog. She calls and asks if I am ok. When they were at home I/we worked hard at being positive people, trying not to talk about the negative stuff (about people) in front of them, trying not to allow them to get down on themselves and others. We tried to reinforce on a constant basis how blessed they were/are. No question your premise is right on: we set the tone for our children. Gratitude begins in the heart. Our children and people in our churches will learn it when we have expressed it.
We are doing out best to teach our 14 year old and 7 year olds the power of a thank you and gratitude. Thank you for the post and the reminders in it.
Brandon - Our children reproduce what we are. Guess that pretty much sums it up.
Bill - I guess parenting never stops, huh? :)
Jim - You are welcome. We are still learning together.
“Our children reproduce what we are. Guess that pretty much sums it up.” WOW… so exciting and so painful at the time.
Wow Cindy thank you for this post, I looked up that 100 Portraits song, and it really does a great job of expressing the attitude of gratitude, we all need to be cultivating. If we just stop to consider how magnificent God is there is no reason not to praise.
So true! Thanks for the call to be more grateful!!
Heartfelt gratitude -
It cannot be mustered up -
It wells up within -
http://ChristianHaiku.com - (Col 2:6, Heb 12:28, Psalm 28:7, 42:4, 107, Ezra 3:11…)
Great reminder. I have a ton to be thankful for. And that is a great song!!!!
But here’s the problem - I model this behavior. It’s part of me to have compassion for others, even a core MBTI labeled trait. So why does my 9 year old son put a penny in a fundraising box to get the free candy, or … this was so sad … he got into a food line at a homeless shelter a couple of weeks ago and turned his hat around sideways and yelled at his friends, “Hey , I’m homeless!’. Yes, he got into tremendous trouble and he had tears over it. And tears over the free candy thing, saying he didn’t understand.
I hope it’s a maturity thing. He is 9.
Any advice?