Seen and Heard
August 11, 2024
Back to School Sunday
Matthew 18:1-5, 19:13-15
At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”
Then he called a little child over to sit among the disciples, and said, “I assure you that if you don’t turn your lives around and become like this little child, you will definitely not enter the kingdom of heaven. Those who humble themselves like this little child will be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.
Matthew 18:1-5 (CEB)
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Jesus teaches that to enter the Kingdom of God, we must become like a little child. Ironically in our culture, like the culture of Jesus’ day, children are often dismissed or ignored. They are to be taught, but we rarely learn from them. They are expected to listen and to respect adults, but adults so often refuse to listen to and respect children in turn. Children, our culture says, are to be “seen and not heard”.
This also sadly applies to our own “inner child” who may have a lot more to teach us than we realize. No matter how much responsibility, stress or even trauma we have built up, our inner child is always with us and is often wounded. Here are a few ways to know if your inner child is hurting:
Hypersensitive to emotions, constructive criticism, and negative situations.
You’re a chronic people pleaser
You seek heavy validation through achievement
Your sense of worth is tied to your work or productivity
You feel numb or avoidant of your feelings
You avoid conflict like the plague
You find it difficult to set and stick to healthy boundaries in relationships
So how can we begin to nurture and care for our inner child so that we can get back to that child-like spirit that Jesus invites us to?
Here are a few ways to start:
Acknowledge and validate memories from your childhood, even the painful ones.
Listen closely and pay close attention, especially when dealing with tough emotions and which emotions you tend to most gravitate toward.
Reconnect with your sense of joy, remembering what it felt like to be a child and maybe even picking up a favorite childhood hobby again.
Be silly, use your imagination, let go of having to have everything under control. Have fun. Play.
Be curious and excited. Allow yourself to be amazed by the beauty and joy of life.
Be fearless. Take risks. Try new things and don’t be afraid of failure.
Live in the present moment and fully experience the depth of your feelings.
What is God trying to teach you right now through children in your life?
… through the younger generation in general?
… through your own inner child?
We spend our whole childhood wanting to grow up faster.
But we spend our whole adult life, wanting to go back to the simplicity of being a kid again.anonymous
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