On Monday I introduced my kids to the Beatitudes. We talked about the linguistic origins of the word and explored Jesus’ teachings with the aim of identifying the characteristics and behavior that bring lasting, eternal happiness to people.

We listed on our easel all of the qualities described in Matthew 5:1-12.

We were eating dinner at the time which provided a natural object lesson in what it means to hunger and thirst after righteousness. We defined unfamiliar terms, discussing in turns what it means to be poor in spirit, meek, merciful, pure in heart, peacemakers. The kids were especially interested in the concept of mercy so we spent a little extra time on that topic.

I discovered several weeks ago that the Come, Follow Me curriculum really lends itself to goal setting which can create an opportunity for daily reflection as well as identifiable growth markers.

As part of this lesson we chose one of the attributes Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount and set a goal to work on developing that attribute this week. The kids now have a frame of reference for one aspect of their spiritual growth and we are all holding each other accountable for our behavior and efforts to become peacemakers.