Fighting for joy

Ann Voskamp explains how she had to learn to wrestle, fight, for joy.

You can't be terrified at the same time that you're giving thanks to Him. My stress was advertising the unreliability of God! The joy was always possible in the moment in which I was giving thanks. Joy is a function of gratitude, and gratitude is a function of perspective.

If you can shift how you are seeing things, you can get to a grateful place, which will get you to a joyful place.

For Ann, picking up a pen is like picking up a sword. To give thanks in this world is seen as being Pollyanna, when in fact it is the way we enter into God's presence and defeat Satan. To be flooded with anxiety, fear, and resentment is exactly what Satan wants for us.

But, how can we teach our children to be grateful?

A child who is apathetic, the dark hopelessness of this world threatening to consume?

We hand our children a torch when we hand them a pen, a JoyDare to hunt for Him. Sparks fall and the world catches and they see light everywhere, God-glory igniting everything. Hand them a pen. Hand them a pen. The way to counter apathy is to count the ways of God….

A child who is afraid? Count blessing so Who can be counted on…

A child who is angry? Anger is always just this: the bleeding of a deep wound. Wrap up wounds intentionally with the gentle bandage of God’s unending love, His daily, tender graces.

A child who needs to learn pray? “The only real prayers are the ones mouthed with thankful lips. Prayer, to be prayer, to have any power to change anything, must first speak thanks: “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God” (Philippians 4:6 NIV, emphasis added).” ~One Thousand Gifts

Go here to see fifteen things you can do to teach your children to be grateful.