Legacy Youth Ministry Resources

Illustration texts

Reasons for Ungratefulness

?The modern American seldom pauses to give thanks for the simple blessings of life. One reason is that we are used to having so much. We simply assume that we will have all the good things of life. Another reason is that it hurts our pride to be grateful. We do not want to admit that God is the Provider of all good things. We are simply His stewards. Being thankful requires humility and faith in God. When we have these, we can be grateful.? Richard B. Douglass

When Cats and Dogs Observe Humans

A dog thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me,provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... They must be Gods! A cat thinks: Hey, these people I live with feed me, love me, provide me with a nice warm, dry house, pet me, and take good care of me... I must be a God!

Gratitude Comes Late

?A very interesting phenomenon in children is that gratitude or thankfulness comes relatively late in their young lives. They almost have to be taught it; if not, they are apt to grow up thinking that the world owes them a living.? Bishop Fulton J. Sheen

Reasons for Ungratefulness

?The modern American seldom pauses to give thanks for the simple blessings of life. One reason is that we are used to having so much. We simply assume that we will have all the good things of life. Another reason is that it hurts our pride to be grateful. We do not want to admit that God is the Provider of all good things. We are simply His stewards. Being thankful requires humility and faith in God. When we have these, we can be grateful.? Richard B. Douglass

Be Thankful for the Least Gift

Be thankful for the least gift, so shalt thou be ready to receive greater. -- Thomas a Kempis

Buddha on Thankfullness

Let us rise up and be thankful, for if we didn't learn a lot today, at least we learned a little, and if we didn't learn a little, at least we didn't get sick, and if we got sick, at least we didn't die; so, let us all be thankful. --Buddha

Reflect on Blessings, Not Misfortunes

Reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many - not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some. --Charles Dickens

Garbage Disposal Eats Well

next time you feel like complaining, remember that your garbage disposal probably eats better than 30 percent of the people in the world. --Robert Orben

Dolphins Training People

Some dolphins may live with the mistaken notion that they are so intelligent that within only a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand at the very edge of the pool and throw them fish? In the same way, God grants some people success in some area of their lives and they get prideful about how they've learned the secrets of success. Hey, maybe God decided to bless you in spite of yourself and you're just like the dolphin, ignorantly attributing the fish life is throwing you to your own greatness. How many thousands of people have worked just as hard and smart as you and failed miserably? We need to thank God for every fish He throws us and not imagine that it came because of our own goodness or great wisdom.

Thankfulness Assignment, Activity

Hal Urban, in his book, Life?s Greatest Lessons or 20 Things I Want My Kids to Know, led his students in an activity that had such power that he made it a part of his class for eighteen years. It shows students the truth in philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer?s statement: ?We seldom think of what we have but always of what we lack.? Part I: A Complaint Fast First, he asks his students to try to go twenty-four hours without complaining. If they fail, they should note on a piece of paper how many times they complain or are tempted to complain. Part II: Debriefing Next class period, he asks students to guess how many students succeeded in not complaining even once. (They usually predict between six and twelve, in a class of thirty). Yet, for eighteen years, the result has always been zero! In the ensuing conversation, Urban asks two questions: Question #1 ? ?What was the purpose of the assignment?? Question #2 ? ?What did you learn from trying it?? Students invariably conclude that they complain too much and the things they complain about are generally trivial. Part III: Written Reflections Immediately following the discussion, Urban gives each student a paper with the words, ?I?m thankful for?? across the top and three columns below, labeled ?Things? (for material things), ?People?, and ?Other? (?freedom, opportunity, friendship, love, intelligence, abilities, health, talents, peace, faith, God,? etc.) For about 20 minutes, students try to fill each column. Part IV: Practicing Thankfulness Dr. Urban next challenges his students to read their lists at four times during the next 24 hours: ?after lunch, before dinner, before going to sleep, and the next morning before going to school or work.? Part V: Final Debriefing The next day, he asks them to express their feelings, compared to the day they tried to not complain. It?s almost magical how this simple exercise makes them come alive. Their quality of life improves significantly when they focus on what?s right with life rather than what?s wrong.

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