Years ago my older girls were flower girls at my brother’s wedding. His wife is from England and her parents were there to witness the ceremony. By the end of the weekend we had all spent a lot of time together eating, rehearsing, and preparing for the wedding. The bride’s parents were very sweet and were especially nice to my children. The mother of the bride made a comment that has always stayed with me. She said, “Your kids are so well behaved for Americans”. She meant it as a compliment to my children and I, but it made me think about how the world views our American standards and lifestyle. The truth is that America is still very blessed. The lack or hardships that we complain about do not stand in comparison with other countries. Most of our children don’t know what it is to not have clean water, shoes, education, and their very basic needs met. I am not deceived, I realize there are homeless families in America and children that are abused and neglected, but in America there are more opportunities for help. When I was on public assistance or even going to the food pantry, my girls never knew that times were hard. When I couldn’t pay my lights or gas (which some countries don’t have), Ceda assistance was there to keep me from getting cut off. I have also had to depend on benevolence from the church and random blessing from people that God sent to help. While receiving this type of help is sure to break any spirit of pride that you might be dealing with, it will also keep you thankful that there are such things set in place. Having said this, we know that God is our ultimate provider and is sure to deliver His children.
Luke 7:41-43
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
So why doesn’t America experience the type of rival and miracles that other countries do? Third World countries are more grateful because their deliverance is greater. I believe that there is a sense of entitlement that we have that comes from being spoiled by all the luxuries that we “need”. We cry out to God to keep our internet connections working and to keep gas in our cars while others thank Him for being well enough to walk the mile they need to walk to get water that we would call dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all of my “luxuries” and believe that God wants us to prosper, but how do we teach our children thankfulness? Thankfulness is a heart issue. It comes as an emotional response from receiving something that we consider great. We are thankful for what we place value on. Sometimes the only way to see the value in something is to have to go without it. This is why when our children disobey we take their things away as a punishment. This is most affective with phones and televisions as our children get older. We thank God for our food, yet we waste so much and throw away leftovers. Someone who knows what it is like not to eat doesn’t do this. We have to expose our kids to the less fortunate and create a culture in our homes of giving and sharing. We have to teach them young about being blessed to be a blessing. We have to share with them our testimonies and sometimes allow them to fail so they can experience the mercy of God. It is not a curse to live in a country that has so many opportunities to prosper. We are blessed! Now what are we going to do with our blessing. Let’s take time to evaluate our hearts and what holds enough value to cause us to be truly thankful. Let’s remember where we came from and thank God for His deliverance. Let’s be intentional about asking our children what they are thankful for to see what they place value on. Let’s change the climate in our homes to give thanks in all things!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Father we thank You! We thank You in all things. Forgive us for taking our blessings for granted and feeling entitled instead of thankful. Help us teach our children the gift of thankfulness. Help us recalibrate what we hold value on in our lives/homes. Let our testimony always be that You did it. We are not self made and cannot take credit for or do nothing outside of You. It is You who makes us great. We bless and praise Your name for Your awesome power and believe that our thankful hearts will spark a revival in our country starting in our own homes. We value Your love and the full work of the cross and won’t settle for anything less. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
Luke 7:41-43
41 “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?”
43 Simon answered and said, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.”
So why doesn’t America experience the type of rival and miracles that other countries do? Third World countries are more grateful because their deliverance is greater. I believe that there is a sense of entitlement that we have that comes from being spoiled by all the luxuries that we “need”. We cry out to God to keep our internet connections working and to keep gas in our cars while others thank Him for being well enough to walk the mile they need to walk to get water that we would call dirty. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy all of my “luxuries” and believe that God wants us to prosper, but how do we teach our children thankfulness? Thankfulness is a heart issue. It comes as an emotional response from receiving something that we consider great. We are thankful for what we place value on. Sometimes the only way to see the value in something is to have to go without it. This is why when our children disobey we take their things away as a punishment. This is most affective with phones and televisions as our children get older. We thank God for our food, yet we waste so much and throw away leftovers. Someone who knows what it is like not to eat doesn’t do this. We have to expose our kids to the less fortunate and create a culture in our homes of giving and sharing. We have to teach them young about being blessed to be a blessing. We have to share with them our testimonies and sometimes allow them to fail so they can experience the mercy of God. It is not a curse to live in a country that has so many opportunities to prosper. We are blessed! Now what are we going to do with our blessing. Let’s take time to evaluate our hearts and what holds enough value to cause us to be truly thankful. Let’s remember where we came from and thank God for His deliverance. Let’s be intentional about asking our children what they are thankful for to see what they place value on. Let’s change the climate in our homes to give thanks in all things!
1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NKJV)
18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Father we thank You! We thank You in all things. Forgive us for taking our blessings for granted and feeling entitled instead of thankful. Help us teach our children the gift of thankfulness. Help us recalibrate what we hold value on in our lives/homes. Let our testimony always be that You did it. We are not self made and cannot take credit for or do nothing outside of You. It is You who makes us great. We bless and praise Your name for Your awesome power and believe that our thankful hearts will spark a revival in our country starting in our own homes. We value Your love and the full work of the cross and won’t settle for anything less. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!
RSS Feed