Goats, God, and Gratitude
/Hello, friends! Today we are going to explore what it means to feel grateful. Another word for this is thankful. When something really special happens, like having a party or getting a present, it’s easy to feel grateful. But most days, we don’t have parties. Presents only happen sometimes, not very often. How can we feel grateful every day, even on those plain, normal days?
Watch this video to get some ideas.
I wonder
I wonder what you are feeling after watching that video?
Goat Storytime
Would you like to read a story with me? Follow me into my goat pen for our story time today as we read the book, “Picturing God” by Ruth Goring.
Shared with permission from Beaming Books Publishing.
After reading that story, I feel like we can see God all around us if we look thoughtfully! Sometimes we can feel God’s presence in the sunshine or the wind, and sometimes we might feel thankful to God when goofy goats make us laugh. Just as we say thank you to people when they do nice things for us, we can say thank you to God for the good things in our lives.
I Wonder
I wonder where you see God around you today?
What gifts has God given you today?
Bible Verse
Activity
If you have a printer, ask a grownup to help you print this. Otherwise, plain paper will work just fine.
When you are finished and if your parents say it’s ok, have your parents take a short video of you sharing your name and what you are thankful for. (Parents: short, horizontal videos, please. If you give permission for your child’s video to be included in our compilation video, send videos to lianna@sanctuaryic.org by Tuesday 3/31.) Next Sunday, we will share our video with our church so we can all see some of the amazing ways God is with us and the different things we are grateful for.
I wonder if this will bring a smile to people’s faces? Will you see other kids you know on the video next week?
***Here is the finished video! Thank you for participating!
Family Challenge
Sometimes gratitude gets easier with practice. It can be helpful to write down what you are thankful for each day. With practice, you might notice that there are a lot of things that make you feel grateful, even if they are just normal, small things! With your family, see if you can think of 3 things you are grateful for each day this week. You could do this in a journal or diary, on a chalkboard, or in a place where everyone can see, like your fridge! If it’s helpful, there is an app called 3 Good Things that can help you to remember to notice the good things in your life.
Prayer
God loves you and is with you every day. I hope your week is full of things that fill you with gratitude!