In this lesson, children learn that God is with them when life is hard, and that He helps them keep going like runners in a race. This lesson suits children ages 5 to 11 and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to teach.
Big Idea
God loves us like a good father, and He helps us keep trusting Him even when things are hard. We can keep running our race because Jesus is cheering us on and helping us finish well.
Memory Verse
Hebrews 12:1
Therefore let us also, seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us…
(WEB)
Have the children stand up and pretend to jog in place while they say the verse together. Then have them lift their arms up high at the word “race” and point forward, as if they can see the finish line.
The Story: Hebrews 12 for Kids
The writer of this letter wanted his friends to keep going with Jesus even when it was hard. He pictured them as runners in a big race. Lots of people who loved God had already finished their races, and they were watching from the stands, cheering. So the writer said, “Let’s take off anything that slows us down, and let’s keep running!”
Then the writer talked about how God helps us grow. He said that a loving father does not let his children do whatever they want, because he wants them to learn and become strong. Sometimes God lets us have hard times, and it can feel like a lot. But the writer said God does this because He loves us and wants us to grow into good, strong people. He said the hard times can produce a good harvest later, like peace and doing what is right.
The writer told his friends, “Lift your hands that hang down and make your tired knees strong again.” He wanted them to feel brave and not give up. He reminded them to live at peace with others and to keep their hearts clean, because God is holy and good. He warned them not to be like Esau, who traded something very precious for one bowl of food, because that choice cost him a lot later.
The writer also reminded them how special it is to belong to God. He told them they had come to a city of joy, the heavenly Jerusalem, where there are angels and God’s family gathered together. He said Jesus is the one who brings us close to God. So he ended by saying, “Let’s be thankful, and let’s worship God with respect and joy, because our God is like a fire that makes everything pure.”
Read It Together
Hebrews 12:2
Looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
(WEB)
Point out that we keep our eyes on Jesus, who started our faith and finishes it. Ask the children what it means to look at someone who is cheering for them.
Hebrews 12:11
All chastening seems for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been exercised thereby.
(WEB)
Explain that hard things do not feel good at first, but God can help them grow us into people who are kind and peaceful. Let the children name a time when something hard helped them learn something good.
Hebrews 12:28-29
28 Therefore, receiving a Kingdom that can’t be shaken, let us have grace, through which we serve God acceptably, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.
(WEB)
Show the children that God’s kingdom cannot be shaken, so we can be thankful and worship Him with respect. Explain that God is good and holy, and He wants our hearts to be clean and full of love.
Talk About It
- What is one thing that might slow you down when you are trying to do the right thing?
- Who are some people who cheer you on when you are trying hard at something?
- How do you think God helps you when something feels hard to do?
- What is something good that you learned after you had to keep trying?
- How can you show God that you are thankful for the family He gives you?
Activity Ideas
Race Track Drawing
You will need paper, crayons, and a pencil. Ask each child to draw a winding race track from the bottom of the page to a finish line at the top. Along the track, have them draw things that might slow them down, and then draw Jesus cheering them on from the side. Let them share their picture with the class.
Obstacle Course Race
Set up a simple course with pillows, chairs, and a rope or string to step over. Have the children take turns running the course while the others cheer them on. Afterward, talk about how it felt to keep going when the course was hard, and how the cheering helped.
Take-Home Encouragement Card
Give each child an index card and a marker. Ask them to write or draw one hard thing they might face this week and one way Jesus can help them through it. They can keep the card in a pocket, backpack, or near their bed so they can look at it and remember that God is cheering for them.
Teacher Notes
For adults, this chapter teaches that the Christian life is a long race that requires perseverance, with eyes fixed on Jesus as the one who began and completes our faith. It also presents God’s discipline as an expression of fatherly love aimed at our growth in holiness, not as punishment without purpose. The reminder that we belong to a heavenly city and a great company of believers gives adults a sense of community and hope.
Avoid overstating to children that God causes every hard thing they face or that obeying always brings immediate rewards. Keep the focus on God’s love, His presence in difficulty, and the hope of finishing the race with Him, rather than suggesting that suffering is always a sign of God teaching a specific lesson.
A Prayer to Close
Dear Jesus, thank You for cheering us on when our races feel long and hard. Help us keep our eyes on You, and help us grow strong and kind. Thank You for loving us like a good Father. Amen.
