The Thankful Tree

“Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.” -Psalm 118:29

One of the best classes I ever took in college was in no-way related to my major — Intro to World Missions with Dr. Roger Peugh. This delightful man of God led this small class of a dozen or so of us for a semester. I learned so much from this man, and he had one assignment that was legendary among us “Gracies” (Go Lancers!).

The idea was relatively simple: every week you had to turn in a journal with 25 things you were thankful for. Sounds easy enough, right? The beauty and simplicity of this assignment was that you were NEVER allowed to repeat an item. Three or so weeks into the class it became a struggle to list unique things that we were thankful for…and that was the point. Learning to look at the world with gratitude and find things to be grateful for was a stretch.

We spend so much of our everyday lives focusing on things that bother or annoy us, that we forget all that is going well around us. What so many of us found was NOT that we suddenly had new things to be grateful for, but to stop and approach every moment of the day with gratitude and look for the blessings God has given us.

The Effects of Gratitude

The effects of gratitude have been well researched and studied.

Practicing gratitude literally rewires the brain. It helps manage stress, and releases dopamine. It also helps build resilience to stress and can help strengthen connections and relationships when practiced with others. Isn’t it amazing how science supports what God has told us to do?

1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 reminds us to “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (emphasis mine)

One of the ways that I try to intentionally cultivate gratitude in my children is a simple tradition that happens all throughout the month of November. We create a thankful tree. What is a thankful tree you may wonder? It’s a simple craft tree that you add leaves to. When my kids were little, I stumbled across a thankful tree in the aisles of Target — and this has become one of our favorite fall traditions! We’ve kept all of our trees and display them in the fall.

Intentional Thankfulness

The idea behind a thankful tree is relatively simple: every night at dinner time, we think of something we are grateful for, write it on a leaf, and add that leaf on the tree. As our kids are getting older, they can write their own thing they are thankful for and add it to the tree and share with others.

As the season of gift-giving looms ever nearer, it is so easy to accidentally cultivate an attitude of selfishness. While Christmas is the season of giving, it can sometimes feel like the season of getting. Making Christmas lists, looking through catalogues, and focusing on all the presents coming our way is such an easy way to become self-focused. Taking a moment every day to stop, and be grateful for a new thing gives us the opportunity to step outside of ourselves and thank the One who has provided every “Good and perfect gift”. (James 1:17)

Customizable Thankful Tree

One of the great parts of this yearly tradition is that it’s easily adaptable! Maybe your kids want to each individually make your own tree. Maybe you’d rather be eco friendly and make yours out of sticks and cut-out leaves. Maybe you want to write yours on a pumpkin and see how quickly it fills up. Maybe you want to try this activity with your class at school, coworkers, or small group. You could start a daily text thread or even a Google slide where everyone could add his/her tree every day. The possibilities are endless!

What creative method will you choose to cultivate gratitude this year?

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