Teaching Kids GratitudeSample

Highs and Lows

“Okay, highs and lows,” I announced, passing a plate piled high with lasagna to my oldest daughter. Next to me, my husband scooped up the salad for everyone.

“Ooh, me first,” one of my daughters piped up. “My high was playing with Chloe at recess. My low was forgetting my water bottle and being thirsty at school.”

We went around the table one by one, listing the best and most challenging parts of our day. Most of the lows weren’t too terrible: a misunderstanding with a friend, a school assignment they didn’t love working on, a rainy day, and a canceled work meeting. And while most of the highs were pretty minor, too, they were good reasons to be grateful: dinner together, something a friend said that was funny, a coffee date with a friend, and a game in gym class. Most days don’t span the full range from wild successes to huge disappointments, but instead involve smaller shifts between highs and lows.

Scripture reminds us that what’s in our hearts will overflow in our words. Though we think of this most often in a negative sense—such as when we have an angry outburst and say something we regret—it’s also revealed in the positive things we choose to focus on. Our highs-and-lows habit is a good touchstone each day because it reveals what’s in our hearts. When we actively choose to name the best and the most challenging parts of our day, we have the opportunity to decide what’s important to us. Our lows are often a reason for prayer, sympathy, or shared understanding. Our highs allow us to name, out loud, something that’s worth celebrating. When we respond in these ways, we’ll find even more reasons to show grace when someone is struggling and gratitude when we see or hear something worth praising.

Kristin

Today’s Act of Gratitude

List your highs and lows for the day. How can you be grateful for the highs? How can you pray for the lows?

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