I saw a woman at an education conference several years ago, and I remember her to this day. I didn’t know her, but she seemed very familiar. She appeared worn and frail, but the message on her T-shirt was bold. It read, “It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken adults.”
As a mother and teacher, those words strike a deep chord within me. What would the world be like if every parent’s goal was to nurture their child’s spiritual nature? To encourage, engage and honor their child’s voice, so that every child’s spirit becomes strong and vibrant enough to last a lifetime. I wonder how things might be different in the world if each child’s fresh from God intuitive connection had been trusted and treasured. Imagine the global impact if the clever and often cynical intellect would appropriately yield to the wise and gentle heart.
But how can this ever be when we adults, who are charged with the nurturing of children, are often ourselves somewhat broken, or at least a bit tattered and torn. How can anyone be expected to give to others what they don’t have?
I think the answer is close. In fact, the dawn of a more peaceful world could begin, if every adult dared to reach out a hand to the one child who is closest to them: the inner child of their own being.
Imagine if we all treated ourselves with compassion instead of judgment. If our first and only response to ourselves was “That’s OK. You are wonderful”. What if we all got up every morning and decided to change the landscape from proving ground to play ground. And we laughed heartily and shared freely. Imagine if every adult decided to answer their persistent inner question with the same ebullient response. “ Yes, of course you are good enough. Go for it!”
If every adult resolved to love their inner child into liberation, the blossoming spirit of innocence would make all things new. We would have the world we dream of for every child, and for our offspring, as well.
