Thanksgiving and Christmas are great times for kids and Church At the Bay is helping them focus on generosity. We believe gratitude is a great attitude but it finds its best expression in unselfish action toward the needy.
All of us have felt the conflict about giving money to people at intersections so we gave our kids a viable option. Last weekend, after teaching the story of Jesus feeding 5000 with the bread and fish given by a boy, we led our 4th-5th graders to assemble zip-lock bags full of food for the homeless. Each bag contained a water bottle, granola bar, package of crackers, cup of fruit and a plastic spoon. We instructed them to lead their family to prepare similar bags and keep them in the car to give out whenever they saw a needy person.
One of our kids, 9 year old Zack, told his mother, "Mom, sometimes I just don't feel like I'm doing enough to help." He got very excited about this opportunity to make a difference!
Now we are encouraging them to donate their BayBucks to provide essential supplies to poor kids around the world through Samaritan's Purse. They can purchase baby chicks, farm animals, sports equipment, clothing, children's Bibles, and more to improve the lives of kids in desperate situations. This is a great way to connect attitudes with action. By focusing on the needs of others, they will be less focused on what they GET for Christmas and will experience at the heart level the real joy of giving. Then when we teach them that Jesus said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive," they will understand what that means.
So parents, use these opportunities to shape you kid's heart. Instead of just being thankful for what they have, they will learn to be thankful for the opportunity to give.
