by Susan Barnes | 28 Aug 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Why did Grandpa die, Mum?” he asked for about the hundredth time. I took a deep breath. My previous answers hadn’t satisfied him. “Well, … that’s just the way life is.” Despite my desire to answer all of my children’s questions honestly and...
by Susan Barnes | 7 Aug 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“It will only sting for a minute,” said the doctor while giving the injection. Once outside my son said, “my arm is going to hurt forever.” I smiled and assured him it wouldn’t. So often when I have been in pain, I’ve felt like it...
by Susan Barnes | 17 Jul 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Look Mum, my puppet’s waving.” “Look Mum, his mouth opens and shuts.” “Look Mum, now he’s dancing.” However, the strings soon became tangled and he grew tired of it—a puppet that was enjoyed one minute and forgotten the next....
by Susan Barnes | 14 Jun 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“It’s not fair,” he said stamping his little foot. It’s true. Life is often not fair. Our circumstances are often determined by where we’re born, when we’re born, and to whom we’re born. Sometimes it even seems like God is playing some sort of...
by Susan Barnes | 31 May 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Will you come with me, Mum?” she asked on the first day of school. When our children have to face something unknown or frightening, it is a comfort to have a familiar adult, whom they love and trust, to go with them. Often this person doesn’t need to say...
by Susan Barnes | 17 May 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“You can’t see me,” he says, gingerly moving around the room with his eyes shut. The misconceptions of childish thinking are often amusing, however, sometimes we unwittingly do the same thing in our relationship with God. We think that God is...
by Susan Barnes | 3 May 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“I’ll be careful,” said my five-year-old, standing perilously close to the edge. “But I said, come away.” When our children are doing something dangerous we don’t want them to be careful, we want them to be compliant. Likewise, we...
by Susan Barnes | 19 Apr 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Dada, dada. Dada, dada,” practised my 10-month-old. When our babies say their first word, we’re delighted and often record the date. As toddlers begin to talk we don’t criticise them for incorrect pronunciation or bad grammar. We’re so thrilled to hear their...
