Gratitude Is More than Peeas and Tank Ooos
- Lori Ogilbee
- Nov 19, 2024
- 3 min read
“My desire for my children and my children’s children is that gratitude is more than a fleeting feeling, but a way of life.”
“Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful.” Colossians 3:15(NASB)
I remember when I was in the season of life that I’m watching my daughter and my 18-month-old grandson navigate right now. It’s that time when he’s reaching for things in the pantry that he can’t reach, but feels that he MUST have. Most often when this happens, my daughter promptly goes and retrieves the object for him (usually Oreos or Goldfish). The exercise always follows a rhythm of "What do you say?" to which my sweet grandson immediately says “Peeas.” Upon getting his desired snack, he responds in both sign language and verbally, “Tank ooo.” Right now, it’s just dialogue and a means to an end (his certainty that he will starve to death without more goldfish.)
It of course makes this Lolli happy to see that sweet little guy using manners and not behaving like a total imbecile. While I value that he’s learning how to behave in social settings, my deepest hope is that he will grow up understanding that true gratitude isn’t just a social norm, but it comes from within our hearts. In this verse, we are called to let the peace that only Jesus can give us guide our hearts and fill us with gratitude in all circumstances. My desire for my children and my children’s children is that gratitude is more than a fleeting feeling, but a way of life.
Our world is so focused on teaching us to look for what we don’t have or what we desire that we can fall into a trap of allowing our children to think that they will only be happy when they get “more”; more money, more toys, more vacations, more houses, more anything in the pursuit of happiness. As we work to cultivate them into humans with grateful hearts, we teach them to seek and find joy in their current state and reinforce that God is in the details, no matter how small.
Action Steps: How can we model gratefulness for our kids? I was scrolling through social media during one of my “insomniac moments” a few nights ago, and saw a “November thankfulness challenge.” I borrowed these three concepts from their post:
Model thankfulness in front of our children. Those little hawk eyes see and hear everything we do, whether we realize it or not. When they hear us thank God for His provision and blessings, they are listening. Invite your children to join in that prayer of thanksgiving for the daily meal or a warm home and soft bed.
Start a Gratitude Jar. Every member of the family writes down different things they are thankful for (or tells someone that can write for them), and each day as a family, you pick one of those items from the jar and read it aloud and reflect on it as a family. Give each person time to explain why today’s item is meaningful to them.
Turn complaints into thanks. No one likes to do chores. It’s easy to mope and complain, but the next time you catch yourself or your child complaining about something simple like unloading the dishwasher, ask them to turn it into something positive. “We have clean dishes, which means that we ate dinner, and we had enough food for our family last night. Some families don’t have this same blessing that we get to have.”
Prayer: God, thank You for the many blessings that You give us. Help our mom hearts model peace and gratitude in every moment, even when it’s challenging. Continue teaching us and our children to find things to be thankful for, and to remember that You are the provider and our peace. Guide our hearts and minds and those of our children as we navigate this world. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Written by Lori, mom of 2, Lolli of 2 - with one more on the way