Putting Away Childish Things (The Hidden Child) - April 3, 2015

1 Corinthians 13:11     When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things...

1 Corinthians 14:20      Brethren,  do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature.

Ephesians 4:14      that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

We have all had a childhood...You may not remember but trust me, parts of your childhood are still played out in some of your thoughts and actions today.

William Wordsworth once said "The child is the father of the man" meaning, you cannot separate yourself from or divorce your childhood. You are the sum total of all your experiences which reach back beyond your immediate DNA to Adam and beyond him to God; you were created in His image. But let's deal with your history for a moment, the complexities of who you are today,  were introduced in your childhood, especially in how you related to parents or primary caregivers.

The hidden child can have a major impact on how you approach life situations. The inner child can be nurtured and developed to lead or it can mislead based on vague and ambiguous boundaries. In some people the inner child learns to survive as a noisy, attention seeking, brawler that bullies and roughhouses. He is impatient and rushes into things he likes without thought of the consequences; he tends to disrupt adult life and hurt or destroys relationships because of his lack of insight.

Maybe that guy is not your inner child, maybe your inner child is so timid, downcast and lacking in self-esteem that no matter the desire, he just can't make social connections; speak up when you are violated or you need to express an opinion. Imagine being so oppressed by needing validation that you can never assume a position of authority or responsibility.

You must know your inner child and what triggers certain responses in order to see where you are still allowing your inner child to control your life.