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...
by Susan Barnes | 22 Mar 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“Let’s go fishing, son, just you and me.” It’s good to spend time individually with each of our children. Every child is unique and we can have a unique relationship with each of them. We can go to a sporting event with one child, that’s boring to another. We can...
by Susan Barnes | 8 Mar 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
He wandered into his father’s shed, hands in pockets, but said nothing. His father stopped and looked up, “What do you want son?” “Nothin’.” Children want to be with those they love. They will choose to “hang around” someone who...
by Susan Barnes | 22 Feb 2023 | Spiritual Lessons from Children
“I love ice cream,” said my five-year-old with great delight. Most likely he will love ice cream tomorrow and the days after that. Love is an ongoing feeling. When using the word “love,” we’re expressing an emotion we expect to continue....