Psalm 34:6–9

“This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.”

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Popcorn, Beans, and Blessings

I remember as a small child having popcorn for dinner. I did not know it was all we had. My four brothers and I thought it was great fun; a “special” night, sitting cross-legged on the floor, eating from bowls of popcorn and laughing together.

Another night my mom made refried beans and sprinkled a little sugar on top. I thought it was the most wonderful meal I had ever tasted. Only years later did I realize those meals were not creative choices; they were survival.

But even then, what stands out is not the lack; it is the laughter. It is the way my mom smiled through the worry, how she bowed her head and thanked God for what we had. She never let scarcity silence gratitude. Because of that, I learned early that thankfulness does not depend on what is on the table; it depends on Who sits with you at it.

Those simple nights taught me a truth I have carried all my life: Gratitude grows best in humble places.

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The Pilgrims’ Thanksgiving: Gratitude Before the Feast

When the Pilgrims arrived in the New World, their first act was not to explore or build; it was to kneel. Governor William Bradford recorded that they “fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven” for bringing them safely across “the vast and furious ocean.”

Before there was a feast, there was faith. Before there was abundance, there was surrender. Their thanksgiving was not born of ease; it was born of trust.

They gave thanks not because life was comfortable, but because they believed God was faithful.

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A Missionary’s Thanksgiving: The Journal of Allen Gardiner

In the 1800s British missionary Allen Gardiner traveled to the desolate shores of South America to share the gospel. When his supply ship never returned, he and his companions slowly starved to death.

When rescuers found them, Gardiner’s Bible lay open to Psalm 34, and his final journal entry read:

“I am overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness of God.
He has never left me, nor failed me.
I am full of joy and peace in believing.
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good.”

Even at the end of his life, Gardiner’s gratitude overflowed. His thanksgiving did not depend on deliverance; it rested on faith in the God who never leaves.

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Teaching Children to Be Thankful

As teachers, parents, and mentors, we carry a sacred responsibility: to help children see God’s goodness in every season.

Children do not learn gratitude from lectures; they learn it by watching thankful hearts. When they see us thank God for the small things, they begin to see the world differently. When they hear us pray, “Lord, thank You for what You have already provided,” they begin to understand that thankfulness is not a reaction; it is a choice.

We can help cultivate gratitude by giving them small, meaningful rhythms:

• A “Gratitude Journal” to record one blessing each day;
• Classroom “Thankful Thursdays” to share good things from the week;
• Family bedtime prayers that begin, “Lord, thank You for…”

When we are honest about hard times yet still thankful, we teach the deepest lesson of all: that joy does not require everything to be right, it simply requires us to trust that God is.

Children who grow up seeing faith in the hard times carry that light into their own storms someday. Perhaps, when they are grown, they will look back on moments of simplicity, maybe even popcorn for dinner, and remember that God was good there too.

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The Everyday Kind of Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is not reserved for abundance. It is woven through small mercies: in the way God sustains us, provides for us, and fills our hearts with peace when the cupboards are thin and the future feels uncertain.

True gratitude does not wait for everything to be perfect. It begins when we can look around, even in scarcity, and say, “Lord, You have still been good.”

That kind of thanksgiving does not fade with the season; it becomes a way of living.

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Prayer

Lord, thank You that You hear us when we cry and surround us with Your presence.
Teach us to give thanks in every circumstance, not just for what we have but for who You are.
Help us live gratitude before our children and students, so they will grow to see that Your goodness never depends on circumstances.
May our hearts, our homes, and our classrooms be places of praise.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.