Doubt

Kids may be afraid to admit they have doubts about God. They might worry about disappointing you or think it is wrong to ask questions about what they believe. As parents, we can be unsure how to respond. Sometimes our own worry causes us to shut down a conversation without meaning to.

In this week’s Brite lesson, kids learn that Thomas, one of Jesus’ closest friends, doubted that Jesus was alive. Jesus appeared to Thomas, and Thomas believed. Kids will learn that God always does what He says. We won’t understand everything about God, but we can trust Him and bring our questions to Him.

Ask your kid if they have any questions about God or anything in the Bible that is hard to believe. Let them talk, even if what they say concerns you. It is okay to say, “I don’t know. Let’s find out together.” Open the Bible together or ask a trusted church leader for help. Help your kid know you are willing to talk about the hard questions.

Here’s how we discussed this topic and how you can discuss it at home: 

Discuss: Have you ever wondered if the things we are learning about Jesus are really true? Is it okay to have questions like that?

Discuss: What can we do when we have doubts about God?

Discuss: What do you think God has to say about that?

Say: When we read the whole Bible, we see many stories about God’s people doubting Him or struggling to trust what He said. It is normal to have doubts sometimes. When we doubt, we can talk to God about it. In Mark 9:24 one man said to Jesus: “I believe; help my unbelief!” God always listens and understands us. He knows what we are thinking anyway! We can also talk to adults we trust, and they can help us sort through the things we are wondering about. As we work through our doubts, God wants us to continue trusting Him. Even when everything doesn’t make total sense and even when we get confused, we can trust that He loves us. God is bigger than all of our questions. He loves us enough to guide us through our doubts as we learn to trust Him more.