Teaching Children to Hope in Christ
“Dad, there’s no hope!” I’ve heard those words come from the backseat a few times this school year as I drive my 8-year-old to school. We’ve been listening to the Green Ember Series by S.D Smith on Hoopla for the last several months on our daily trips to and from school. The Green Ember is an adventure series for kids that focuses on the epic adventures of two young rabbits, Heather, and her brother, Picket. It’s full of ups and downs and great life lessons from a Christian worldview, but at times it’s left my son wondering if there is any hope.
These moments have provided opportunities to talk about hope and courage with him. I encourage him to be brave and trust that I wouldn’t pick a hopeless story. I love him too much to leave him without hope. I also remind him that I know the end of the story, and it is good. Evil loses, good wins, and the world is mended!
Teaching my son to trust me is important, but I am ultimately incapable of guarding my son’s heart against hopelessness. Our world is full of seemingly hopeless situations. Danger and troubles surround us every day, just like the enemies surrounding King David in the Psalms. While our troubles are not in the form of a jealous king trying to kill us, they are still real troubles. That’s the nature of the fallen world in which we live.
As parents, we do our best to shield our children from danger and troubles as much as possible, but we cannot win that battle forever. Your child will face danger and trouble and feel hopeless at some point. We will not always be with our children; they cannot find life-giving hope in us.
What do we do then? How can we teach our children to have hope? Point them to a hope that never dies, a hope that will be with them at all times and in all places. Point them to hope in the one who defeated our ultimate enemies, sin and death. Point them to Christ!
The Apostle Paul does precisely that in his letter to followers of Christ in Ephesus. Paul prays that believers will grow in understanding “the hope to which he has called you.” He reminds them that, at one time, they had no hope because they were “without God in the world.” Paul then explodes into a Christ-exalting refrain “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.” That is life-giving hope! That is a hope worth teaching to your children.
“I know how the story ends. We will be with you again!”
- “You’ve Already Won” by Shane & Shane