MAY 29  

Philippians 1:3

BEING A THANKFUL CHILD!

Every morning Michael read a chapter of the Bible and prayed. One morning he read Romans 16.This is kind of a different chapter, he thought to himself. It’s mostly a list of the people Paul appreciated. He looked at the verses again. Maybe one reason this chapter is in the Bible is to show us how important it is to let others know how much we appreciate them, he thought. I think I’ll do that today!

So at breakfast Michael said to his mother," Thanks for cooking these eggs for me, Mom." Then when his brother, Steve, came into the kitchen, Michael said, " Thanks, Steve, for letting me use your colour markers for my report." Both Mom and Steve gave Michael such big smiles that he decided to keep on telling people how much they were appreciated.

At school, Michael found his friend Ben. " Thanks for sticking up for me when those guys teased me yesterday," said Michael. "I appreciate that."After class he approached his teacher. "It’s neat the way you’ve been telling us about how things work," he said. "It makes studying so much more interesting." He could see that his teacher was pleased.

On the way home from school, Michael walked past his neighbour, Mr Lim who was at his doorstep. "Mr Lin," Michael called, "I want you to know again I appreciate the nice cakes you bought for our family yesterday." Michael received one more big smile.

That night as Michael was getting ready for bed, he thought once again about appreciation. I can tell that people appreciate being appreciated. Michael grinned at the silly sound of that, but he was glad he had learned that lesson from the Apostle Paul.

Thought: You probably do appreciate all the people who do things for you, but do you let them know it? Make a list of five people whom you appreciate, and then tell them. You’ll feel good because you will be helping others feel good. And don’t forget to include Jesus on your list. He deserves the most appreciation of all.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank You for so many wonderful things that You have blessed me with. And thanks for the lesson today – that I must remember to be a thankful and appreciative child! In Jesus’ name I pray – amen.