Hebrews is a book of the Bible aimed at people who are drifting away from the Lord. It is hard to think about children drifting away because their faith is so young and still being formed. The same principles that the Hebrew writer draws on to call people back apply to the foundation of faith we are trying to establish in the lives of our kids.
In Hebrews 6, the message moves from a serious warning about falling away from God to a warm reminder of the hope we have in Jesus. Here are a couple of observations from the text (Hebrews 6:9-20).
A) Hope is an anchor for our souls, in other words, it keeps us from drifting.
B) Hope is future-focused, looking forward to something but has its foundation in past confidence. In this case that is God's promise. God has never broken a promise.
C) 6:18 talks about 2 unchangeable things. That would be a reference to 6:13-16 that speaks of God's promise to Abraham and the oath made to Abraham. Promises and oaths cannot be changed.
How can you impress these truths upon your children?
Here are some ideas.
1) There is just a ton of room to talk with your children about promises. What are they? Should we make them? God makes them and has never broken one. Sometimes it takes a long time for God. Here are a couple of minty verses to read together: Joshua 23:14 & 2 Peter 3:3-9
2) "I'm hungry"
"Dinner will be ready in 15 minutes"
"Can I have a snack?"
"I said dinner would be ready in 15 minutes."
"Can I have an apple?"
Do conversations like that happen in your home? Maybe this is a lesson for the parents more than for the children but those conversations happen for a reason: the hope and promise of food in 15 minutes does little to quench the hunger pangs being felt right now.
Denying yourself pleasure right now for the hope of something better in the future is called discipline. Jesus spoke about it a lot. Try to capture one of those moments this week to tell your children about the good promises we have from God.
3) Hebrews 6:18 says, "we who have fled." That language would call to mind the Israelites who fled from captivity in Egpyt to chase after hope and promise from God. Telling or retelling some of Israel's story and connecting our own waiting and journeying can be helpful.
4) Yes, I said waiting. The whole idea of "as you go" is to seize teachable moments in life and make the ordinary things special and holy. Every day we have to wait for something. Whether it is waiting for food as mentioned above or waiting for someone to get home or waiting to get to play outside, your children are going to have to wait for something. We can remind them that it is easier to wait when there is a promise made by a promise keeper who never breaks promises.
"As you go" ministry is both difficult and easy at the same time. If you are not in the habit of teaching your children about God then infusing spiritual truths into daily activity and life will be tough. Once you get going though and you are connecting with the Lord more regularly yourself, you will find that the conversations and pointing toward God and truth and love will come more often and more naturally. May God bless you and your family as you go...