Let's Talk Manners: Saying Please and Thank You

     Do we realize how very grateful we should be for the many blessings that God bestows on us everyday?  Being grateful is expressing our true appreciation for God, His blessings, and the way others bless us.  We should be in awe of the wonderful things that the Lord has given to us.  Most of all we should be thankful for His love and free gift of salvation, even though we do not deserve it.

      Rejoice always,  pray continually,  give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 

~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

     Everything we have is given to us by God.  Our very breath is a gift from Him.  We need to even thank Him for the trials and tribulations in our lives.  They are there to refine us and to bring us closer to Him.  Trials also gives us compassion for others dealing with similar difficulties.  We should not complain, instead we should praise the Lord for the mighty way He works in our lives on a daily basis.  It is important to understand that things we do not understand, are all known by God.  He knows what we need and the exact time we need it.  

     When we have a grateful heart, our children will follow our example.  If they see us complaining about everything, they will do that too.   Our children need to appreciate what they have been given and not murmur and complain about things they don't have.  We must teach them gratitude.  This begins with the heart.  Do you motivate your kiddos to have a giving and thankful heart?  Have you ever taken them to a homeless shelter or visited a soup kitchen?  When kids see that many do not have the little luxuries they have like a home, food, clothes and warmth, they tend to become more grateful for those very things.

                "So much has been given to me, I have no time to ponder over 

                                  that which has been denied." ~Helen Keller

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