Thanksgiving Coloring Page for Kids

Walking through the apple orchard a few months back the branches were heavy with fruit. It looked as though they couldn’t have held one more piece. The Creator reminds us of His generosity toward us. He is not stingy, but lavishes His love upon His children.

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving, may we encourage our children to give thanks as generously as He has lavished us. We can help them to understand what it means to give thanks by explaining what it means to give. Giving involves handing over something tangible…thoughts, words, feelings and actions. Giving thanks is expressing gratitude to someone through our actions. The Psalms is a great guide book for expressions of thankfulness. May this Thanksgiving be truly an act of gratitude!

“Praise the Lord, all nations; Laud Him all peoples! For His lovingkindness is great toward us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting. Praise the Lord!” (Psalm 117)

Wise Owl says, “It’s not Wise to be Lazy.”

This is Wise Owl.  He loves to learn and write what he learns in his wisdom journal.  Wise Owl is excited about going to see his friend Johnny today.  What do you think he will learn about wisdom at Johnny’s house?

When Wise Owl gets to Johnny’s house he finds Johnny in his room.  Johnny is down on the floor cleaning up his room.  He feels overwhelmed by all of the things that need to be picked up.  His face is sad.

“Hi, Johnny” says Wise Owl.  “You look sad.”

“Yeah, my Mom said that I have to clean up my room before I can play with you today.”

“What kept you from cleaning it earlier?” asks Wise Owl.

“Well, it just seemed like such a big job that when my Mom would mention cleaning up my room, I kept on looking at my favorite library book.  The next time she asked I was playing computer games and it just seemed too hard.  It makes me tired just looking at all of this stuff.” complained Johnny.

“I think that I have something that might encourage you in my wisdom journal that I wrote down this morning, Johnny”  It says in Proverbs,

“You people who don’t want to work, think about the ant!  Consider its ways and be wise!

It has no commander.  It has no leader or ruler.  But it stores up its food in summer.  It gathers its food at harvest time.

You lazy people, how long will you lie there?  When will you get up from your sleep?  You might sleep a little or take a little nap.  You might even fold your hands and rest.

Then you would be poor, as if someone had robbed you.  You would have little, as if someone had stolen from you.” 

Proverbs 6:6-11

“Johnny, if we work hard when our parents or our teachers say it’s time to work, then we get to enjoy the good things that come from that work.  We know where to find the toys we want to play with because they are in their spot.  We know where to find the clothes we want to wear because they are in the drawer in which they belong.  We also get to enjoy our time of rest when we don’t have to spend it doing the work we didn’t want to do earlier.  You see, it’s not wise to be lazy. Let’s work hard right now.  Then we can enjoy some playtime together if your Mom says it’s okay.”

Wise Owl asks you…

1.  What does it mean to be lazy?

2.  What is unwise about being lazy?

3.  Does laziness give glory to God?

4.  How can we ask God to help us overcome laziness this week? (This is a good time to remind your child that their worth is not based on whether they are lazy or not.  They are valuable because they are created by God.  When we ask God to enable us to make wise choices we get to enjoy the blessings of wisdom.)

Activities to make this truth tangible:

1.  Purchase an ant farm so your child can see the diligence of the ant.

2.  Print out an ant coloring page.

3. Make a plan to address an area of laziness.  (Example:  picking up toys daily, cleaning your room)

Wise Owl would love to hear your thoughts about wisdom today…

The Ordinary Parent’s Guide to Helping Your Child Thrive Spiritually

Part 1:  Making it a part of their environment

When our children start to move into their preschool years, many of us start thinking about the things our child will need to know as they become school age.  If we want them to learn to read and succeed in school, we start looking for ways to introduce them to the alphabet and the sounds that the letters make.  We get tips from other parents about resources they use. We copy other parent’s educational projects to encourage the children to learn.  It seems natural enough for us to just make learning a part of our child’s environment.

The same principles we use for acclimating our children to learning the alphabet are the same we use to help them thrive spiritually.  We find ways to incorporate our spiritual life into our child’s environment.  We won’t be perfect at it because there are no perfect people. But little by little, we ask God for wisdom and help to guide us in introducing them to Him.  There are songs to sing about Him, stories to read about Jesus and everywhere around us there is evidence that God is at work.  We can help them to spot these things and help their spiritual development to become part of their everyday environment. It’s what they were created for.  We can help our children thrive spiritually. It’s as easy as the ABC’s!

We weren’t meant to do it alone though.  God made us to need each other and support each other as together we seek Him for our children’s spiritual development.  I love to hear from other mommas about what tools they’re using to help their children thrive. (I even steal their ideas sometimes!  It’s what all good teacher’s do.)  What ideas can I steal from you this week about helping a child to develop spiritually?

Wisdom for Little Ones with Wise Owl

Meet Wise Owl

This is Wise Owl.  He loves to learn.  Every day he writes what he learns in his wisdom journal.  He wonders where he will need wisdom today.  What is wisdom anyway?

Wise Owl says, “Wisdom is putting God’s Word into action.”  Wise Owl knows where to find God’s wisdom.  Where will it be?

Will Wise Owl look for God’s wisdom on the television?  Will he look for God’s wisdom at the store?  Will he find it under his bed?

Wise Owl will find true wisdom in God’s Book.  He knows that “respect for the Lord is the place to start.”  (Proverbs 1:7)  That means putting God’s truth above your own opinions in life.

Since God is all-wise, His Word is perfect.  It is the absolute best.  Wisdom will not allow anything to get in the way of what is best.

So Wise Owl begins his day with the all-wise God, seeking the best in His Word and asking for his wisdom in prayer.  This is what makes him so wise.

Wise Owl will be sharing his journal entries with you on a regular basis.  He would be so pleased if you would join him in seeking God’s Wisdom.

He would like to hear your thoughts about wisdom as well…please share.

How these children inspire me…

Two children, ages 9 and 17, courageously share their painful story of loss.  They had gone to worship the Lord at church with their families.  During the “prayer section” of the service, men with rifles opened fire on their congregation.  One child lost a brother, the other her father.  She recounted how her father always encouraged them to be close to God and to read the Scriptures.  A single tear ran down her cheek as she declared her proclamation of hope…“I know that I will see me father again one day.” (video recorded by Voice of the Martyrs in northern Nigeria)

These testimonies of great faith from the lips of children inspire me.  I want my children to have these heroes of our faith, the persecuted brothers and sisters, as their inspiration as well.  These are the ones who have learned to see the generosity of Christ in the midst of great suffering.  They know that we don’t count our blessings based on what we see, but on what is unseen.  

So we open our prayer guide from Samaritan’s Purse to thank God for His generosity to our suffering brothers and sisters in Christ.  We ask Him to continue working on their behalf.  We thank God for their courage, for their faith and for the inspiration to follow in their example. 

“Remember the prisoners, as though in prison with them, and those who are ill-treated, since you yourselves also are in the body.” Hebrews 13:3

  

image from persecutionblog.com

A Badge of Generosity

 

Yesterday was badge day, “Generosity Badge Day, at our house.  Maybe we’ll start setting aside one day each week for badge day for a more consistent reminder.  The thing about generosity is that it has a lot to do with our habits…the way we think, feel, speak and act.  A badge that reminds of what we’re participating in in these areas can help us to change bad habits and to continue good ones.  On badge day it is a good reminder that if we have put our trust in Jesus to save us from our sins, God does not value us based on our performance in this area.  God values us based on the perfection of Jesus that covers our imperfection.  Becoming more like Jesus in this area of generosity enables us to enjoy Him more fully and to give glory to Him, which is what following Jesus is all about. 

Our badges were easy to make.  I always like to use recyclables.  

Supplies:

empty cereal box

permanent black marker

ribbon or string

hole punch

 

First, cut the cereal box into 4×6 rectangles.  Write your “Generosity Prompt” on the cardboard.  Use the whole punch to make two holes at the top of the rectangles.  Slip the ribbon/string through the holes and tie.  Now it’s ready for your child to wear.  I recommend wearing one yourself.  Our generosity prompt read…”I’m thankful that…”  Others could read…”I’m glad that God is…” or “How can I be generous today?”  Ask God to direct you as you participate in badge day.  Going through the motions only leads to legalism, which stifles spiritual development.  God will empower you as you seek Him.

 

Taking it further with the kids:

1.  together write a thank you note to send

2.  make a gift to let someone know that you care

3. use generous words to bless someone 

O come, let us sing for joy to the Lord, let us shout joyfully to the rock of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, let us shout joyfully to Him with psalms.  For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods,  (Psalm 95:1-3)

 

A Story about Generosity

A long time ago in a town called Jericho there were a crowd of people gathering gathering to see a famous teacher come to their town.  As the people were lining up along the side of a road, a man came along that everyone in the town despised.  His name was Zacchaeus.  Zacchaeus collected the taxes of the people in that town.  But not only did he collect what the Roman government ordered him to, He also took money from the people to make himself comfortable.  The people of Jericho looked at Zacchaeus like a thief.  There was no way they were going to let him get a good spot to see the teacher who was coming to town.

They gave him rude glances.  They whispered about him among themselves.  They made sure that he was on the outside.  But Zacchaeus was desperate to see this teacher.  The teacher’s name was Jesus.  Zacchaeus had heard that Jesus could heal sick people, make crippled people walk and make blind people see.  What would he do when he came to Jericho?

Zacchaeus had to see Jesus so he found a tree nearby and climbed up into it.  From up in the tree he could see everything that was happening.  And then everyone gasped as they looked on.  Jesus was going over to the tree where Zacchaeus sat.  Why would he do that?  Surely Jesus must know what a horrible person Zacchaeus was.  What was he going to do over then?  Then the people in the crowd heard Jesus say, “Zacchaeus, please come down.  I’m coming to your house today.”

The crowd gasped again.  Surely, Jesus must have made some mistake.  This couldn’t be right.  Why would Jesus want to go to Zacchaeus’ house?  He was a thief and a scoundrel.  What would a good person like Jesus possibly want with someone as filthy as Zacchaeus?

“When they (the crowd) saw it, they all began to grumble, saying ‘He has gone to be the guest of a man who is a sinner.’  Zaccheus stopped and said to the Lord, ‘Behold, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to the poor, and if I have defraude anyone of anything, I will give back four times as much.’  And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”  (Luke 19:7-10)

When Zacchaeus realized how much he needed Jesus and how generous Jesus was toward him, it was only natural for him to respond back with generosity.

Taking it further with the kids…

1.  When we find ourselves grumbling and complaining what have we lost sight of? (Answer:  Jesus’ generosity toward us.)

2.  Zacchaeus gave half of what he owned to the poor.  How can we be generous to the poor?

3.  Is there someone that we are looking down on because of Jesus’ generosity toward them.  Let’s ask the Lord’s forgiveness.  How could we be a blessing to that person?

 

Seeking the Lord for Help to Teach Generosity

 

“You’ve got chips!  No fair!” ” You got coloring pages!  No fair!” “You got icecream!  No fair!”  The pout face is on, and arms are crossed.  The sense of injustice boils over to anger.  Then complaining ensues in an effort to make sure that everyone is aware of the wrong that has been done.  Complaining is the seed of ingratitude.  It is an indictment against God that He has allowed us to be wronged or that He Himself is outright guilty of mistreating us.  We demand that He do something about it.  All of this begins in the heart of a child.

As we seek the God to enable us to instill generosity in our children, it is important to be aware that this accusation of God is part of our humanity and must be dealt with before we can truly understand generosity (Gen. 3).  Accusation is not compatible with generosity.  In order to be generous we must confess our accusations and accept Jesus’ generosity toward us.  He gave all of Himself for our sake, dying in a horrifying way (Rom. 5:8) so that we could receive all the blessings of heaven both now and for the rest of eternity.

Our children need to know that their complaints get in the way of giving thanks or anything else for that matter.  WE can help them overcome this obstacle by pointing them to Jesus’ generosity.  Forgiveness is readily available to us (1John 1:9).

What we think deserves an indictment is actually short-sightedness.  We are not able to see the big picture that God is accomplishing (Gen. 45 is a great example of this!).  God’s plan is always for our good, so we have no reason to complain.  When we confess that we are guilty of making indictments against God, He frees to be generous.

Please join me this month as I seek the Lord for help to teach generosity.  Praise Him that He is faithful!