Thankful Hearts for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a time for families to gather, celebrating with thankful hearts. To grow an attitude of gratitude in your family, recognize both the large and small gifts in life. When we notice and point out the blessings to one another we set the stage for thankfulness.
Be intentional about how you’ll portray gratitude at the dinner table on Thanksgiving Day. Start your meal off by saying grace, thanking God for the food as well as the family members and friends gathered around. The Bible provides wonderful examples of why we say a blessing before we eat. In Matthew 14:19, Jesus fed a large crowd of hungry people. Before the meal was served, he gave thanks to God. And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people.
Here are a few suggestions to make the Thanksgiving blessing special at your house.
• Hold hands at the table during grace.
• Ask each guest what he is thankful for this past year. (Just one, or the food will get cold!)
• Say a traditional prayer in unison.
• Ask one of the children to say the blessing.
• Make sure you bless the hands that prepared the meal!
Incorporate the Word of God into your Thanksgiving celebration too. On place cards, I print a Bible verse related to the theme of thankfulness with each guest’s name. Click here for Thanksgiving Place Cards to use on your dinner table. Count your blessings this Thanksgiving!
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
1 Chronicles 16:34
© 2012 Becky Danielson. All rights reserved.
If you’ve been encouraged by this post, please take a moment to subscribe to the Faith First Parent e-newsletter, join in the conversation on the Facebook page or share the post with a friend.
Photo by Matheus Ferrero on Unsplash