Mission Briefing
A Bible hero mission for kids about telling the truth and turning back to God.
Hero: David
Virtue: Repentance
Best for: Ages 6-12
Time: 10-15 minutes
You need: paper heart, pencil, and eraser
Meet David
David was a great king, but being a Bible hero did not make him perfect.
David used his power to do something seriously wrong and then tried to hide it. His choices harmed other people.
God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David. Nathan told David a story that helped him recognise the seriousness of what he had done.
David did not make excuses or blame someone else. He admitted:
“I have sinned against the Lord.”
Nathan told David that the Lord had taken away his sin, but David still faced painful consequences for his actions.
Psalm 51 records David’s prayer for mercy, forgiveness and a pure heart.
Repentance means honestly admitting our wrongdoing, asking God for forgiveness, turning away from the wrong choice and accepting responsibility for what we have done.
Hero Skill: Tell the Truth
Repentance is more than feeling bad or being upset because we were caught.
It means stopping the hiding, admitting what we did without blaming someone else and turning towards what is right.
God’s forgiveness brings cleansing and hope. It does not mean that the wrong choice never happened or that we no longer need to repair harm and accept appropriate consequences.
Your Mission Today: The Clean Heart Prayer
You will use a paper heart to practise four parts of repentance: tell the truth, ask for forgiveness, repair what you can and choose a different action.
What You Need
- Paper heart
- Pencil
- Eraser
Step 1: Write A Wrong Choice
Choose a simple everyday example or a pretend situation. Write or draw the wrong choice on the heart.
Children do not have to write down or publicly share private information. If something serious or unsafe has happened, speak directly with a trusted adult.
Step 2: Practise Four Honest Steps
- Admit: “I did something wrong.”
- Ask: “Please forgive me.”
- Repair: “What can I safely do to make it right?”
- Change: “Next time, I will choose…”
Step 3: Erase and Turn
Erase the wrong choice and write:
“God can forgive and change my heart.”
Explain that erasing the pencil represents God’s forgiveness and cleansing. It does not erase what happened. We still tell the truth, accept appropriate consequences and repair what we safely can.
Choose one different action you can take next time.
Talk About It
Ages 6-8: What did David say when Nathan showed him that he had done wrong?
Ages 9-10: Why does repentance include more than simply saying, “I’m sorry”?
Ages 11-12: What is the difference between regretting that you were caught and accepting responsibility for the harm you caused?
Repentance Practice For This Week
When you make a wrong choice:
- Stop hiding and tell the truth.
- Admit your part without blaming someone else.
- Ask God and the affected person for forgiveness.
- Accept appropriate consequences.
- Repair what you safely can.
- Choose a different action next time.
Repentance does not change the past, but it changes the direction you take next.
Parent Note
David and Bathsheba is a mature account involving an abuse of power, adultery, deception and death. For younger children, focus on David’s attempt to hide serious wrongdoing, Nathan’s confrontation, David’s confession and his prayer in Psalm 51.
Use this mission to encourage responsibility without shame. Say, “You made a wrong choice,” rather than, “You are bad.”
Do not force children to disclose private experiences through the paper-heart activity. If a child reveals that someone has frightened, manipulated, hurt or asked them to keep an unsafe secret, treat that as a safeguarding concern – not as something for which the child must repent.
Forgiveness does not remove appropriate consequences or the need to repair harm. For serious situations, adults should guide the next steps.
Mission Prayer
God, thank You for Your mercy. Help me stop hiding and honestly admit when I have done wrong. Please forgive me, create a pure heart in me and help me repair what I safely can. Give me courage to accept responsibility and choose what is right next time. Amen.
Free David Colouring Page
Keep the mission going with David’s colouring page.
