How to Cultivate Gratitude in Your Grandchild

Thanksgiving comes late this year, but let’s use that to our advantage and devote the whole month to gratitude before we dive into the craziness of Christmas.

Scripture says in Psalm 100:4, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” 

When we approach God, thanksgiving should be the first thing on our lips.  

But how do we cultivate hearts of gratitude?

Having the proper perspective of God as a good giver is key. 

Let’s look at the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30 NIV:

Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” The man with two bags of gold also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.” His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.” His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

How does each servant see the master?

The first two servants see their master as someone who is good. Someone worthy of service. And not just any service, quality service. Excellence. Best effort. 

The third servant viewed his master as harsh. Hard. A man who took from others. And the servant’s perspective affected his service. When entrusted with his master’s resources, he made no effort at all. He didn’t even deposit the money to earn interest. 

With whom do you identify? How do you see God?

For years, my perspective of God was skewed. I grew up in a performance-driven environment. Straight As. Top athlete. But it was never enough for my father. 

For years, decades even, I thought God was like that too. Expecting perfection. And when I couldn’t give it—He offered nothing but criticism and rejection. Then somewhere along my faith journey, I was introduced to the idea of a loving God. A Father who loved because love was who He is, not because of anything I did or didn’t do.

Talk about an epiphany.

So, how do you see God?

Let’s do some digging. How do our grandchildren see God? And why?

Do they view God as harsh or generous? Let’s make sure their perspective of God matches Jesus’s testimony.

One way we can do that is to help them get to know God as Giver. What kind of giver is God? 

Lavish

1 John 3: 1 says, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” He’s a lavish giver. (See Episode 27 God’s Lavish Love)

Abundant

2 Corinthians 9:8, 10-11 says, “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work . . . Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.”

God gives to us so we can give to others in need. God meets needs through His children. Thanksgiving is a great time to demonstrate this. 

Good

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 

God’s gifts are good. He wastes nothing, be it a glorious sunrise, a faithful dog, or your favorite dessert. 

Let’s pray: Father God, help us to show our grandchildren what a giving God you are. You love us lavishly and Your generosity cannot be matched. Reveal Yourself to our grandkids as the good Giver You are. May their perspective be spot on. In Jesus’s name, Amen.

As the parable demonstrates, perspective affects attitude. Knowing God as a good Giver nurtures gratitude in response to His giving. God invites us to shift our perspectives, to give thanks where we see His hand, and to trust when we can’t. 

Activities for Cultivating Gratitude

Count your blessings. 

Thankfulness tree: Write down what you are thankful for on the leaves. 

A gratitude jar: Using sticky notes, write down two things for which you are thankful. Do this every day. Read through your notes when you’re having a hard day.

A gratitude journal: Each day, write down something or someone you are grateful for.

Game with popsicle sticks and a jar: Write each of these sentences on a stick and place them in the jar. Draw one each day. (Name a person you are grateful for. Share a skill you are thankful for. What’s something in nature you appreciate?) 

Thankfulness ABC’s: Go through the alphabet and name one thing for each letter. 

Gratitude scavenger hunt: Find something that makes you happy; something that makes someone else smile; something in nature that you love. 

Skittles gratitude game: Each color represents a different thankfulness topic, like a person, a memory, or a place. 

A gratitude walk: What can your senses find to be grateful for?

A Thank You for Those Who Serve Us

So many people contribute to our wellbeing. Thanksgiving is a great time to thank them. Consider the following groups and how they make life better:

• Armed forces
• First responders
• Teachers and coaches
• Mentors
• Pastors and our church family
• Doctors and nurses

Food is a welcome gift but nothing homemade. All food items must be commercially prepared. 

Don’t forget to check out The Kingswell Kid Detective series. Book 1, The Mystery of the Missing Falls, is available now for readers ages 8-12. Kid-sized mysteries. God-sized truths.