Service – Parenting Like Hannah

10 Fun Gratitude Activities for Your Family

Did you know the Bible tells us to give thanks 73 times? That’s a lot of repetition of a relatively simple command. In addition, the words thanks and thanksgiving appear in another hundred or so verses. Obviously our gratitude is important to God. He wants us to be grateful because it helps align our spirit with His. Arrogance, selfishness and other unchristian character traits are more difficult when one stays in a spirit of humble gratitude. Likewise, service, generosity and faith sharing are easier when you are grateful for the gifts God has given you.

Our world doesn’t encourage gratitude. Oh, we may hear people talk about it from time to time, but it’s really not a priority. Which is interesting. Even from a secular point of view, gratitude has been shown to have all sorts of benefits to physical and mental health.

Just like many of us have gotten into the habit of being ungrateful, we need to help our families develop the habit of gratitude. Thankfully, there are some fun things you can do to put your family in a gratitude mindset. Here are some of our favorites.

Gratitude tablecloth. Find a plastic tablecloth light enough to write on clearly. Place padding underneath it so markers don’t bleed through to your table. Every time your family sits down to dinner (also a great Thanksgiving idea for extended family to join in), have everyone take a marker and write something new for which they are thankful. How long does it take to fill up the tablecloth? To keep from repeating, review previous entries before allowing anyone to write something new. This also serves as a reminder of how much your family has been given by God.
Thanks jar or centerpiece. This is another idea that works well year around or at Thanksgiving. Find a pretty jar or bowl. Place beside it blank slips of paper and pens. Encourage everyone to write something on a slip for which they are grateful. You can make it a regular thing or just remind them when something happens to write a gratitude slip for it. Periodically, read all of the slips in the bowl and pray to God thanking Him for those blessings.
Sidewalk thanks. If you live on a street with a sidewalk, take some chalk and write “Please tell us something for which you are thankful”. Be sure to write a few things yourself to get it started. Then leave a couple of sticks of chalk where people can see them, but not step on them and get hurt. You may even want to put a little container for them in the grass so people will return the chalk where it’s safe.
Thank you treats. Make some muffins or cookies or other treats and bag them up with a short note of thanks. How many people can you thank with them? Can you focus on people who may normally be unseen by others, but should be thanked for everything they do?
Thanks in many languages. This is a way to make saying thanks more interesting, because it can encourage more conversation if you thank someone in Czech! It also can be a way to think about those in the mission field who are often making sacrifices to serve others and teach them about Jesus.
Thanks by color. This is a great way to teach young children how to thank God for His blessings in prayer. Cut out little slips of different colors of paper. Place them all in a little container. Encourage your children to take turns choosing a color and thanking God for something that is the same color as their slip of paper.
Gratitude art journal. For those with young or artistic children, buy a journal that is meant for sketching. Place pencils and crayons beside it and put it where everyone will see it during the day. Encourage everyone to draw either something for which they are grateful or a depiction of their day and everything in it for which they are grateful.
Pinterest thanks. Search for “volunteer thank you’s” and you will get tons of ideas you can use to create little thank you surprises for people.
World record thanks. Challenge each other to see how many people you can thank in one day. It will be hard to keep count, but at the end of the day, celebrate by sharing some of the thank you stories and the reactions you got from people.
Leftover candy thanks. If you are reading this close to Thanksgiving, you likely still have too much candy in your house. Get creative and tape a little punny thank you note to a piece and give it to someone. (ex. Reese’s – There are so many Reese-ons we are thankful for you!)

Have fun with it, but focus your family on gratitude. You may be surprised at the new blessings that come from being grateful for the ones you already have.

Budgeting 101 for Christian Parents

Not too long ago, my husband and I were talking to a parent who was upset about his young adult child’s poor handling of money. “I thought they were teaching him all of that stuff at school,” he lamented. Even though some schools are beginning to teach financial literacy, most still are not. Even if your children are being taught about money at school, they are not being taught from a Christian perspective and quite possibly not even a helpful one (remember how well schools are doing at teaching other subjects). Financial literacy is one of those topics that you personally need to teach your children.

So where do you start, when you may not be confident about your own money management skills? As with everything in Christianity, you start with their hearts. Although the idea of a specific percentage of income as a tithe is not specifically mentioned in the New Testament, giving to God generously is. There is also the theme of “first fruits” giving throughout the Bible – giving to God first. In the New Testament, Christians were selling off assets to help the church and other Christians who were going through tough times. It is clear God expects His people to give back to Him first, generously and with a willing heart.

Your children will best learn this by observing how you give to God. Are you putting Him first or do you cut back on your contribution to pay for something new that you want? Are you generous when your congregation is collecting items to help others or do you ignore pleas for help? Do you spontaneously help others going through tough times? Your kids understand more than you realize it and will often learn the values, priorities and attitudes you have about money.

Your kids will also learn about giving by having an allowance and being encouraged to give generously to God from it. I know most congregations have shifted to online giving, but they all have giving boxes children can put their offerings into. If you don’t know where yours is located, ask a minister to show you where it is. Encourage your children to give weekly and generously and talk about how you and your spouse do the same online.

Giving is a lot easier when a budget is in place. A budget helps plan expenses to stay within one’s income level, to save for emergencies and to give to God. There are plenty of tools for free online to teach children basic budgeting skills. Unfortunately, most are written from a secular perspective. Which means giving to God is ignored and priorities may be focused on making as much money as possible to spend on oneself. Dave Ramsey has some great resources from a Christian perspective. There is a charge involved, but we used his homeschool materials with our daughter and she not only enjoyed them, but still uses the things she learned as a young adult.

Don’t assume someone else is teaching your kids about how to handle their money in godly ways. Scripture tells us the love of money is the root of all evil and leaving your kids open to the world’s influence about money almost ensures they will be taught to love it. Be proactive and teach them what God wants them to know.

Fun Fall Family Service Projects

The weather in Fall is great for getting outside or doing things inside that keep you cozy and warm on those chilly, rainy days. Why not spend some family time together serving others? You and your kids will not only help others, but quite probably grow closer, learn something and have fun in the process.

Here are some of our favorite ideas.

Go apple picking and share the wealth. Churches and other places that give food to those experiencing food insecurity rarely have access to fresh fruits and vegetables. Why not have fun picking a bushel of apples and donating them? Or share a handful of apples with neighbors and friends or someone who could also use a visit. (Call churches and food banks first, as not everyone accepts fresh produce.)
Make some muffins and take them to someone who is lonely. Our favorite recipes? One box spice cake mix, one small can of pumpkin and half of that can of water. Mix and bake at 350* until firm to touch. Or use a mix for cinnamon bread or muffins, dice some fresh apples and add them into the mix with the other ingredients. Plan on spending a few minutes just chatting with the person when you deliver the muffins. If your kids are young, encourage them to also create some art for the person.
Rake some leaves. Know someone who has been sick or is older and doesn’t use a lawn service? Why not save them some time and money and rake their leaves for them. (Make sure to clarify what they want done with the gathered leaves.)
Go to the Farmers’ Market and have someone over for dinner. Farmers’ markets have lots of fun ingredients, but many also have booths selling things like fresh pasta, meats, and even prepared dishes. Go to the market as a family and pick out everything you need for a meal. Then invite someone over to share it with you. Hospitality is a key ingredient of spiritually vital homes and this is a fun way to be hospitable.
Clean up trails and parks for others to enjoy and to keep animals safe. Use safety precautions, but take a bag and wear safety gloves the next time you go on a hike or play in the park. Clean up the place a bit.

Take advantage of Fall and serve others as a family. It’s a great way to celebrate the cooler weather and can become a family tradition.

How to Raise a Generous Child

Talk to any ministry or non-profit and they will tell you they are concerned about the future. Why? Because they are noticing more and more that all of their volunteers and donors are over the age of fifty. They realize our culture inside and outside of the church environment no longer values service and generosity. There are lots of cultural reasons for that, but as Christians, we aren’t given an option to let professionals or the government serve others for us. The commands are frequent and clear. Each Christian is expected to serve others and give generously. Personally.

So what are some things you can do to raise kids with servant and generous hearts? Here are some of our favorites.

Set a great example. What do your kids see as they watch you? What do they hear as you speak? Are you more concerned with getting new things for yourself or helping others with the things you already have? Do they see you regularly donating to collections at church for various items? Do they hear you and your spouse discuss how you can increase your contribution to church and other ministries? Or do they hear you complain when a ministry asks for money? Do they listen as you try to figure out ways to cut your contributions to church so you have more money for yourself? Hopefully they watch you spend time every week serving others and giving? Kids do what they know, so your example is key.
Find ways to include them in your service and giving. Have them go with you and help at their level when you serve. Encourage them to find ways they can personally cut back so your family has more money to contribute to a need. Give them extra little jobs so they can earn money to donate themselves. The younger they start serving and giving, the more it is likely to become a natural part of who they are at their very core.
Tell them empathy stories. Help create an empathetic heart by making sure they know what life is like for those you may be serving. The best of course, is to let them hear the stories of their lives from the people themselves. You can also build empathy by reading books written for children about life in different situations. Share your own experiences or those of people you know when appropriate. Service disconnected from the people being served can at times become judgmental and even condescending. Make sure your children understand the full story behind why people need help in age appropriate ways.
Talk about people in the Bible who served others or gave generously. Tell them the story of Abraham and his three visitors. Or Jesus and his ministry. Or the generosity of the early church. Read to them about the widow and her generous donation and the Good Samaritan. Don’t forget to teach them God’s commands on the topic. Encourage them to memorize key verses and revisit them regularly.
Encourage independent efforts at giving and service. Some children are just naturally generous. They just need praise and encouragement to stay the way they are. Other kids are a little more oblivious or even a bit selfish. They need a little nudging to even notice needs – much less respond to them. Instead of telling them what to do, ask them questions to help them decide on their own what the person needs and how they can help. Make sure to let them know you noticed and appreciated their efforts when they do act in generous ways or serve someone else.
Expose them to other generous people who serve others constantly with their time, talents and money. Invite someone over for dinner who goes on mission trips and encourage them to tell your family what it’s like. Or someone who is deeply involved in ministry to a particular group of people and ask them to tell your children about the issues, their efforts to help and the victories and challenges in their ministry. (Note: These interactions are sometimes even more meaningful if the person isn’t a paid minister, but someone who does it on a volunteer basis.)
Give them an allowance and encourage them to give a portion of it back to God. There are lots of creative ways to start children in the habit of giving a portion of their income back to God. It’s more difficult with online giving, but most churches still have a donation box in the foyer. Make sure your kids go every week and put in their money. As teens, help them set up a bank account and teach them how to set up automatic contributions to your congregation.

Raising a generous child doesn’t happen by accident. But with a little intentionality and extra effort, your children can grow up to be the givers God wants them to be.

Fun Way to Teach Your Kids About Serving Others

When adults try to teach kids about serving others, they try really hard to make it fun. They believe the element of fun will encourage them to serve again – hopefully making it a lifelong habit.

Unfortunately, serving others is not always fun. It can be hard, uncomfortable and exhausting. So you may have pointed out people in the Bible who served God in difficult ways. Your kids may believe that life in Bible times is a lot like life today. Which means watering a bunch of camels or making some widows a few pieces of clothing wasn’t that difficult, right?

Find an empty one or three gallon jug and fill it with water. Tell your children the story of Rebekah watering the camels of Abraham’s servant found in Genesis 24. Ask them how long it might have taken Rebekah to water the four or more camels the servant would have had with him.

Your children will honestly have no idea. They may think Rebekah turned on a hose and watered them. Show them a picture of a well. Explain that Rebekah had to pull up a three gallon jug of water by a rope/chain. Let them feel the weight of one to three gallons of water. Explain that Rebekah then had to carry that heavy jug of water and pour it into a trough for the camel.

Camels drink about 25 gallons of water at a time.That meant she had to make multiple trips with the water jug just to feed one camel. Of courage the servant probably had at least four camels, so that’s lots of more trips! Your kids might want to try and make that many trips with a gallon jug of water (a three gallon jar is probably too heavy for them to handle safely). If you have plants that need watering, they can substitute for the camels!

Afterwards discuss what sort of heart Rebekah must have had to work so hard for a stranger. What other people in the Bible can think of that served others in such selfless ways? How can they serve others when it is hard with the same pleasant attitude Rebekah seemed to have possessed. Have fun with it, but make sure they understand God wants us to serve others – even when it is hard.