Sharing Faith

One of my required texts for a spiritual formation class in Seminary was entitled "Will our children have faith?" (Westerhoff). It was a great question to ask way back then and it is a great question to ask now. Children growing up in America in the 21st century face some significant challenges to their faith. The questions about faith that they confront come early and often. As a way to address some of these questions I have revisited Hebrews 11:6. Despite the fact that almost all people living in America profess some belief in God, I'm not sure how many would would profess to be actively seeking God. Furthermore, I suspect that even fewer would say that they believe God responds in a personal way to their faith. The writer of Hebrews warns that it is impossible to please God without this kind of faith. So, that brings me back to my concern. How do we encourage this kind of faith in our children? I do believe in the contagious nature of faith within the family unit. When our faith in a personal and active God is evident on a daily basis to our children, they develop some foundations that will withstand questions that come to them. Also, I believe God's desire for relationship can be communicated at an early age through healthy relationships within the family. For example, my confidence in the security of God's love for me was reinforced by the consistent love of my parents. They developed my capacity to trust. This capacity development is not restricted to the biological family. It also takes place within the church family.