Give thanks to the Lord; call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. 1 Chronicles 16:8 CSB

Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; proclaim his deeds among the peoples. Psalms 105:1 CSB

This week we celebrate Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! Our American holiday began as a harvest celebration of the Pilgrims and a Native American tribe, the Wampanoag. Our verses today are exactly the same from two different places in the Bible.

The words thanks and thanksgiving are in our Bible over 70 times. And the word gratitude (which means thankfulness) is in the Bible over 150 times! Do you think that giving thanks to God is important? You’re right!

When you thank God for all the good things in your life, it’s hard to be sad or mad or complaining. Paul tells us that we should “Give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 If we thank God for everything, that means that we will thank Him all the time, every day.

Even when things don’t go our way, we need to thank God that He is with us and helps us to get through the hard times. Sometimes we have to wait for what seems like a long time for an answer to a prayer, but we can thank God that He waits with us, and we trust that He is working things for our good.

I Give Thanks to God for:

Teddy bears, tadpoles, trains, and Thanksgiving turkey,

Hammocks, hats, honey, horses, hideouts, and home.

Apples, airplanes, alpacas, arcades, and armchairs.

Nature, nicknames, newts, and nonsense noises.

Kindness, kites, kittens, karate, and kayaking.

Sailboats, skyscrapers, school, and skateboards.

This type of poem is called an acrostic poem because the first letter of each line spells a word. I used a different color so you can see it easier. Do you see the word I used? Yes, THANKS!

This week I want you to make an acrostic poem like the one I made above. The first letter of each line spells a word when you read it top to bottom. What things are you thankful for? You can use the word THANKS like I did, or you can use your first or last name or the name of a friend. You can use your pet’s name or your favorite game. Think of at least two or three things you are thankful for with each letter. Have fun giving thanks to God! Your parents can help you if you get stuck.

Blessings and joy as you give thanks to God every day!