Skip to content
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Welcome to Blessed is She, where we love Jesus and you.

Lent 2023 has arrived. And you've got to get it.

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS $75+

Shipping FAQ Contact
Search
  • About
  • Prayer
  • Community
  • Shop
  • Experiences
  • Free Resources
Blessed Is She
Account Search Cart
  • About Toggle menu
    • About Blessed is She
    • Staff + Writers
    • BIS Quiz
  • Prayer Toggle menu
    • Devotions
      Devotions
    • Blog
      Blog
    • Blessed is She App
      Blessed is She App
    • Teachable Tuesdays
      Teachable Tuesdays
    • Podcast
      Podcast
  • Community Toggle menu
    • Regional Groups
    • Blessed Brunches
    • Blessed Conversations
    • Blessed is She App
  • Shop Toggle menu
    • By Product Type Toggle menu
      • Accessories
      • Apparel
      • Books
      • Candles
      • Cards
      • Crucifixes
      • Jewelry
      • Lent
      • Posters & Prints
      • Stickers
    • By occasion / use Toggle menu
      • Gifts
      • Home
      • Kids
    • Featured Toggle menu
      • Lent
      • New
      • Sale
    • SHOP ALL
      SHOP ALL
  • Experiences
  • Free Resources
LENT 2023 IS HERE: NEW WINE ➔
LENT 2023 IS HERE: NEW WINE ➔

An Aptitude for Gratitude: Lessons from the Children

An Aptitude for Gratitude: Lessons from the Children

I've witnessed a handful of excellent lessons on gratitude. Most of these lessons have come from observing young children in the way they live and pray and experience life. Through my work in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, children have shown me the simplicity of being in God's presence and delighting in His good gifts.

I think that young children have a natural aptitude towards gratitude. Especially gratitude towards God. It's not that young children usually express their gratitude with many words. In fact, they often need to be taught that it's appropriate to say "Thank you" when given a gift, but it seems as if their true thankfulness and appreciation is felt and expressed within their whole being.

Gratitude seems to arise spontaneously in children. They take time to receive and experience what is given. They enjoy.

I think this is because children know how to delight in the gift. If they are given the time as well as an environment that supports them, they truly can stop and wonder and enjoy what is around them. I've witnessed it many times in very simple ways: a face lit up with laughing delight while holding a tiny mustard seed, an attentive silent calm after the lighting of a candle, a joyful smile after a song together, a shared excitement with a friend after a new discovery, or a stillness after a prayerful reading of a single line of Scripture.

Today's Psalm reads, "I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart!" (Psalm 111:1)

I, too, want to give thanks to God with all my heart. I want to learn how to delight in God's good gifts and praise Him for His goodness. Like children, who have the ability to notice, appreciate, and enjoy what is given.

What can you appreciate today? What can you delight in? Can you take a few moments to enjoy something today?

I want to learn how to delight in God's good gifts and praise Him for His goodness.Click to tweet Twitter

Mary Catherine Craige enjoys spending her time creating art, writing, and playing her Irish harp. She uses her experience as a Montessori teacher and catechist to serve young children through the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. As a life coach for business leaders, she encourages and challenges women in all walks of life to more deeply discover their purpose and live their full potential. You can find out more about her here.

Blessed is She
About Blessed is She
View other posts from the author

LENT 2023 IS HERE
JOIN THE BIS APP
COME BACK TO FIRST LOVE
Share
  • Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Pinterest Pin it
September 20, 2017 — Blessed Is She
Tags: Author_BlessedIsShe Devotions
Left Older Post Back to Devotions Newer Post Right
Welcome to Blessed Is She

Blessed is She is a sisterhood of women who want to grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through their Catholic faith.

Blessed Is She
Quick links
  • About Us
  • FAQ
  • Contact
  • Affiliates Program
  • Internships/Volunteer
Social
  • YouTube
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • Amazon
Amazon American Express Apple Pay Diners Club Discover Meta Pay Google Pay Mastercard PayPal Shop Pay Venmo Visa
  • Privacy Policy
  • Shipping & Returns
  • Terms of Service
© 2023 Blessed Is She. Powered by Shopify