If you read my last post, you  heard from my heart.  You read about my recent personal challenge that Thanksgiving not an event, but a command.  Since this made such an impact on  me this year, I decided we needed to do something that ensured that we took that command seriously.

So as we move into the Christmas season, we as a family came up with a great teaching idea on gratitude that will help us stay focused on the lesson of Thanksgiving from now until Christmas.  And we are hoping that by making this a Christmas season challenge, we will form a habit (they say it takes 21 days) that will last a lifetime.

So here is how we will teach thankfulness this Christmas season.

Every day each one of us must think of someone to thank God for.  That person could be the person who held the door for us, the mailman, the art teacher, a family member, the neighbor, a coworker, a boss, someone who yielded to us on the highway, or even someone from our past.

Our challenge will be to reveal our choice every morning, thank God for that person and then  thank that individual somehow before the end of the day by either expressing our gratitude directly to them or by extending the same kindness to someone else.

Why are we doing this?  Why do I call this a teaching idea?

It is so easy for us to take others for granted and even focus on the things that bother us about them.  When our minds begin to track down that route, we can easily end up filled with negative thoughts that only feed resentment, frustration, and discontent.  Because that is our natural tendency, I believe that we must teach thankfulness deliberately.  By focusing on what we have to be thankful for, my hope is that we will end up filled with gratitude–not just for our “special person” for the day, but for many others that pop into our heads.

But my ultimate goal is to raise children who recognize and focus on the many blessings in life rather than the many frustrations and disappointments. Because when we are able to live with gratitude, we are able to enjoy life so much more fully!

And why do I call this a Christmas teaching idea?  My hope is that it will focus our attention on others rather than ourselves, that it will make us even more thankful for the priceless gift of Jesus, and it will make us less inclined to want something for ourselves as we begin preparing to celebrate Christmas.

Read the post on Thanksgiving as a command.