A Shocking LoveSample

A Childlike View of God

Do you remember being a kid and opening that cute, little Play-Doh container with the colorful lid? The difference between a fresh pack of Play-Doh and the crusty, old stuff gets real when you’re trying to mold something out of it. Over time and exposed to air, this once soft lump of dough with so many possibilities becomes hard, cracked, and a lot less adaptable.

Something similar happens to the human brain as we age. Experts agree that our experiences in childhood define us more than any other stage of life. Who we are today was most profoundly determined in the first decade of life. The medical term, brain plasticity, is a fancy way of saying that- like a fresh pack of Play-Doh, our brains are soft and pliable in childhood.

Song lyrics, product slogans, and even new languages are easier to pick up as children. But so are negative thought patterns. Rejection, shame, and dysfunction are passed on to us by our earliest influencers, not only by what they say but by how they live. 

Without realizing it, we begin asking questions like:

What makes me lovable?

What makes me valuable?

What parts of me do I need to hide in order to belong?

What makes me feel safe?

As children, we determine the answers to these questions before we can even critically think about them. We bend, twist, and conform to what others are saying about us, naively learning how to survive. This is why Jesus’ statement about children in Mark 10 is so profound: Let the children come to Me. His words contain an important fact about the heart of God toward us.

God sees us as His children! We always want what we think we deserve, yet the Father’s shocking love is unhindered by our foolishness, failures, and insecurities.

This new kind of childhood, spiritual childhood, is an exciting opportunity for us to develop a proper view of God as the loving, compassionate Father that He is.

Reflection: What’s your view of God? Is He indifferent toward you? Perhaps He is even hostile? Or do you believe that God, who is full of compassion, wants you to come to Him?

Prayer: "Lord, help me to realize that I am Your beloved child. Thank You for not rejecting me, but instead calling me to come to You. May my view of You no longer be defined by negative patterns from my childhood. Instead, give me a trusting heart that is open to receive Your Fatherly love for me and motivated to prioritize our relationship today."