What I’ve Learned from Hope Kids (as an adult)
Words by Emma Rowland
Bill likes airplanes. I learned this about him at our Hope Kids Sunday School the other week. It is an interest he has in common with my 11-year-old son, who shared with Bill that we recently journeyed to India on an Airbus A380 - the largest passenger plane in the world, for anyone who’s interested (Bill will be).
I have to admit, none of us were really doing the colouring-in task that had been set for us that week. The sun was shining, Spring was here - and most of the children were playing team sports while a small group of us sat at the playground bench and got to know each other.
We talked about travel, visiting new countries and the bravery and faith it often takes to have adventures especially when we don’t know what to expect. Funnily enough, I noticed the phrase written on the colouring task was 'Proverbs 3:5–6 - Trust in the Lord with all your heart'. This is exactly what we ended up discussing without even realising it.
As someone who is still very much at the beginning of their faith journey, it has been surprisingly fun revisiting the basics. I accompany my two sons to Hope Kids to support them in their session, but it turns out I also get a huge amount of value out of it too. It's sometimes nice to strip back the complex language and layered stories and simply get to know the core messages of the faith. As much as I love delving into the details, I do sometimes get lost in them and I have needed to become almost child-like in my approach to learning (which reminds me a little of Matthew 18:3).
Beyond that, I am really enjoying having this time with my children. Throughout the week, I am often very busy in Mum-mode, or working hard in my job, and I sometimes forget to step back, look up from my daily tasks, and just appreciate talking to my kids about things that matter.
Last week, we played a scavenger hunt game with Meredith, who wanted to use this as an illustration of Proverbs 3:5–6, in particular 'lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight'. This was great fun, so simple, and very grounding.
Perhaps that is why this verse has stayed with me over the last few weeks. Faith is not always about having every answer or seeing the full journey ahead. Sometimes it is more like stepping into a great unknown adventure, taking risks, and doing so with an open mind and open heart (and preferably on an Airbus A380).
