"I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes." (Luke 10:21)
The Biblical passage above always comes to mind whenever I talk to my Grandnephew. He had learned to walk by 7 months, but didn't learn to talk until much later. When he did finally begin to speak he displayed a level of spirituality I have never encountered in one so young. His very first word was. 'Lady' uttered out of the blue upon seeing a picture of the Virgin Mary.
By the time he was 2 he seemed to have some kind of connection with the spirit world as my wife and I discovered when we took him on a trip to Fiji. One day as we were strolling along, he began looking back at the home of my wife's cousin and would laugh. I asked him what was so funny and he said, "Aunty." Thinking he was talking about my wife, I told him that Aunty was not there, but in the house we were going to next. He said, "No Uncle, the Aunty that died." Well, as it turns out, my wife's Aunt had passed away a few months prior to our visit. The house he was referring to belonged to her. Thing is, he didn't know her or where she lived. Nor did we ever tell him of her passing.
A couple years later my mother passed away. My Grandnephew was among those in attendance at her funeral. As the casket was lowered I attempted to explain to him what was going on and that his Granny was in the big blue box. He wouldn't hear of it. He said, "No Uncle, pointing up into a tree, Granny's sitting up there on that branch watching us."
Some time after that and before my Grandnephew had started attending school, the subject of the hereafter came up among the adults. My Grandnephew was in earshot of the conversation and cheerfully announced that he knew what happened after you die. Everyone sat quietly and awaited his explanation. He said, "After you die, your body goes in the ground and your mind gets divided up among the people that loved you when you were alive. Then, you use their eyes to see everything again." We all just sat there dumfounded with our mouths wide open.
Mind you, this is the same kid whom a few years later came up with the idea that God was like a pizza. The world is the crust, he would tell us, God is the sauce and the toppings are all the different religions.
His latest pearl of wisdom is the meaning of life, which at the age of 11, he has all figured out. Apparently, the meaning of life is all about getting it right. If you don't get it the first time, you've got to keep coming back until you do. Once you learn your lesson, you get to be with God and enjoy yourself without having to worry about anything.
So, I guess all of this could be open for discussion. I'd be happy to elaborate if anyone is interested. I would also enjoy hearing about anyone else's experiences with children and spirituality.
Do share....
The Biblical passage above always comes to mind whenever I talk to my Grandnephew. He had learned to walk by 7 months, but didn't learn to talk until much later. When he did finally begin to speak he displayed a level of spirituality I have never encountered in one so young. His very first word was. 'Lady' uttered out of the blue upon seeing a picture of the Virgin Mary.
By the time he was 2 he seemed to have some kind of connection with the spirit world as my wife and I discovered when we took him on a trip to Fiji. One day as we were strolling along, he began looking back at the home of my wife's cousin and would laugh. I asked him what was so funny and he said, "Aunty." Thinking he was talking about my wife, I told him that Aunty was not there, but in the house we were going to next. He said, "No Uncle, the Aunty that died." Well, as it turns out, my wife's Aunt had passed away a few months prior to our visit. The house he was referring to belonged to her. Thing is, he didn't know her or where she lived. Nor did we ever tell him of her passing.
A couple years later my mother passed away. My Grandnephew was among those in attendance at her funeral. As the casket was lowered I attempted to explain to him what was going on and that his Granny was in the big blue box. He wouldn't hear of it. He said, "No Uncle, pointing up into a tree, Granny's sitting up there on that branch watching us."
Some time after that and before my Grandnephew had started attending school, the subject of the hereafter came up among the adults. My Grandnephew was in earshot of the conversation and cheerfully announced that he knew what happened after you die. Everyone sat quietly and awaited his explanation. He said, "After you die, your body goes in the ground and your mind gets divided up among the people that loved you when you were alive. Then, you use their eyes to see everything again." We all just sat there dumfounded with our mouths wide open.
Mind you, this is the same kid whom a few years later came up with the idea that God was like a pizza. The world is the crust, he would tell us, God is the sauce and the toppings are all the different religions.
His latest pearl of wisdom is the meaning of life, which at the age of 11, he has all figured out. Apparently, the meaning of life is all about getting it right. If you don't get it the first time, you've got to keep coming back until you do. Once you learn your lesson, you get to be with God and enjoy yourself without having to worry about anything.
So, I guess all of this could be open for discussion. I'd be happy to elaborate if anyone is interested. I would also enjoy hearing about anyone else's experiences with children and spirituality.
Do share....
