One of my characteristics is to over analyze things. I have a hard time letting something go until I come to a conclusive conclusion that satisfies me.
So, last Sunday Ray and I taught Sunday school. The theme was on thankfulness. Of course in lesson prep and while teaching the lesson I was strongly reminded myself that I need to line my heart up with a thankful attitude more often. I have more wistful thoughts than I probably have thankful ones....
So not far into the lesson I told the kids the parable of the lepers that were healed and about how only one came back to thank Jesus. Then I said, 'Isn't it easier to want stuff and forget about thankfulness?' The large majority response was, "No, we find it easy to be thankful, we have everything we want. There is nothing that we want that we don't have." This rattled me right then and there and my only recovery was to be transparent and to share that I did struggle with thankfulness and that it takes work to be so. In the end I am just left wondering....are they just super good Christian kids, do they just know the right answers, or do they truly have everything they could ever want? Just can't make it out. Well, it is true that just because someone has all they want doesn't mean that they are thankful for it.
4 comments:
Hmm I think young kids in general have the unbiased, unjaded ability to be thankful for everything have. I teach middle school and I don't see kid being thankful for what their parents give them. Is it their age, their parents, their upbringing? I really have no idea after 7 yrs in the public schools. :)
Feel free to follow along with my blog too :)
I think that's got to be something that changes as you get older. Just as many "lose" their childish charm and innocence, I believe that we learn to tune out the things we're accustomed to having.
Yes, I've learned a thing or two from young children, usually when I am teaching Sunday School. Thank you for the reminder to be child like in my response to my heavenly Father.
Maybe they said they "have everything they want", not because they necessarily have everthing, but because they are content? I think thankfulness breeds contentment. There's also the possiblility that they tend to give the answers they know are correct, whether it be true in thier lives or not. Either way, something to think about! Thanks ;)
Post a Comment