{"id":1120,"date":"2011-08-02T01:00:11","date_gmt":"2011-08-02T08:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/?p=1120"},"modified":"2011-08-02T15:30:16","modified_gmt":"2011-08-02T22:30:16","slug":"1120","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.doorposts.com\/blog\/2011\/08\/02\/1120\/","title":{"rendered":"Teaching Our Children to be Thankful for Their Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cO give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever\u2026 Who giveth food to all flesh: for his mercy endureth for ever\u201d (Ps 136:1 and 25).<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"The Israelites complained about the food God gave them<\/strong>. There it was, miraculously appearing on the ground every morning, \u201cangels\u2019 food\u201d (Ps. 78:5), free for the gathering. It tasted good. It was good for them. Their loving Father, creator of the universe, provided it for them. But they chose to grumble. \u201cOh that we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt that cost nothing, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, the onions, and the garlic. But now our strength is dried up, and there is nothing at all but this manna to look at.”<\/em> (Numbers 11:4-6, ESV) Not exactly the epitome of thankfulness, huh?<\/p>\n

Sometimes our children don\u2019t like the food God gives them<\/em><\/strong>. It appears on the table at meal times. It\u2019s good for them. God has graciously provided it through the labors of their loving father, and it has been prepared by the hands of a devoted mother or other family member. But they choose to complain about it. They may refuse to eat a particular food. They may ask for (or demand) something different. They may spit it out, drop it on the floor, or hide it in their napkins (or pockets\u2026yuck).<\/p>\n

Our children reveal ungrateful hearts when they grumble about the food that is given to them<\/strong>. In response, instead of correcting them we are often tempted to:<\/p>\n