I wonder what you’re thankful for?
In difficult times it can be hard to think about what makes us say ‘thank you’ but it is important to keep on looking out for those things. They remind us of the good still all around us, they remind us that God provides for us every day, they lift our hearts beyond the situations we are in and keep us looking up.
The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote this:
‘Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.’
1 Philippians 4: 6-7
His trust in God helped him to keep on going and keep on thanking God, even though he had lost his freedom.
Today’s prayer space activity is inspired by Paul and his encouragement to us to keep on being thankful.
Thankful Alphabets
You might want to make a cosy space to do this activity in but you can do it anywhere! You can do it alone or with members of your family – whatever you prefer.
All you need is some paper, some scissors, some pens and a bowl.
Cut a piece of paper into 26 small pieces.
On each piece, write one letter of the alphabet
Then fold them up and place them in a bowl.
Then, close your eyes and take out one of the letters from the bowl. Take a look at it. Think of as many things, people, places, etc. that you can that you can say thank you for starting with that letter.
Write all of those things to make a poster. You can draw, paint, collage, write – whatever you like! You can do this with other people you live with and create a poster together full of your ideas. Here’s the one I made:
Take a moment to look at the poster. You might want to pray and thank God for all of the things you have written and drawn. Again, you could do this on your own or you could thank God together as a family.
Why not put the poster up somewhere to remind you of all the things to be thankful for if you’re ever having a hard time.
This activity can be done time and time again, each letter will remind you of different things to say thank you for. I think you’ll be surprised by how many things you can come up with!