Where to Begin to Teach Thankfulness?
Submitted by kim on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 19:38 in Character Building
This morning when I reached for my bible, I realized I had left it at my daughter's home when I visited her last weekend. My back up bible is an old one with most of Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, and Colossians falling out. It had been my mother-in-law's. Her favorite books are not only obvious due to the wear, but also her excessive underlining and notes in the margin.
Though fragile, I like reading the worn pages, knowing she once read, studied and meditated the same words, the same treasures.
Our family has developed the habit over the years of reading a chapter of Proverbs each day. I've heard multiple preachers encourage the practice, so I can't contribute the idea to any one person. The book of Proverbs lends itself well to regular study as there there thirty-one chapters: one for each day of the month. We read after breakfast before we start in on our school work. Weekends often derail us and we miss reading those days due to busy Saturdays and rushing out to church Sundays. Since our family now consists of all readers, everyone brings their own bible to the table and we read aloud, each person taking a verse. Today, I bring this worn-out, borrowed bible to the table.
I have to admit that reading the same book of the bible twelve times a year, year after year, can become.... hmmm.... dare I confess......boring?
Narrowing our study by looking for a key word or thought each month helps keep the practice alive. This is often how we actively teach attitudes like thankfulness in our home. We focus on one character quality per month, searching Proverbs daily for verses that teach us how to demonstrate and the benefits of that quality. We also look for verses that show the opposite of the character quality, paying close attention to what happens to the person who does not exhibit the quality.
We will search for verses on the theme of thankfulness for the month of November. We will also take notice of verses on greed as a greedy person is usually not a thankful person. By the end of the month, we will have created our own "Thankfulness Concordance" on the book of Proverbs. Grab your bible - whether worn out or brand new - and search for treasures to encourage thankfulness in your home.
