What do you mean my child is god…… have you seen his behaviour?!
We are, all of us, physical manifestations of divine essence. I don’t say that lightly, nor should it be ignored. Just imagine a world this way – imagine the difference it would make in how we treat each other – if we saw this divine essence in all beings.
We know from physics that everything is comprised of energy. This means EVERYTHING: the birds I hear outside my window, the ants who are taking over my cat’s food, and those microorganisms I hear about that live on my face (shudder). But we are all part of the same whole energy – a Oneness. Not too different than if we look at our own physical beings. We are composed of a multitude of elements all fitting together to make up a walking, talking being that seeks to know itself through interaction with others.
But being inside of myself, I cannot truly appreciate who I am unless I have an external point of reference. I am blind to who I am. As divine essence, we took physical form to know ourselves, to know the One.
Interaction is how we not only know ourselves but it is truly how we define ourselves, by the labels placed upon us by an external world, especially those labels that we accept. Through this process, considered to be normal acclimatisation to our culture, our family, our schools, and so forth, we lose the knowledge of who we truly are – we lose our memory of ourselves as divine elements that make up the Oneness of being. We lose this knowledge and for many, this knowledge is never regained.
Children bring this knowledge with them when they are born. I have spoken previously of how, when a child is born, the family falls in love with each other all over again. The child brings with them a magical essence of love that is seen when we gaze into their eyes. I know one of my favourite things about holding a baby is the incredible feeling of trust and love conveyed by the child fully relaxing into my body. The baby completely trusts me to care for it without reservation. It sees me as someone to totally love and trust without hesitation. I remember looking into the eyes of these children and wondering how I could ever betray this trust. Holding an infant, I feel complete, and I truly feel what it was like to love and be loved.
Imagine how the world could change if each time we looked into the eyes of an infant we saw god. Imagine if we truly understood the divine nature of this being and treated this child as such. How would our lives change? How would our actions as humans change? Can you imagine giving into angry impulses and “beating” god? Imagine screaming, “I hate you, I wish you had never been born” or some other hateful remark...to god. Imagine this child after being indoctrinated with these thoughts by the parent, then going to school and hearing from the teacher that they are not a good student, they can’t keep up, that they are “bad.” What happens to this child’s self esteem?
We generally want children to behave, do what they are told and, although we don’t like to admit it, we prefer they are seen and not heard. Just imagine what might happen if a child’s world is filled with love from the time they are born, if their world is filled with kindness and compassion. Imagine if the child hears they are perfect, just the way they are.
I am not suggesting a child should be given free rein and permitted to do whatever they please; love also teaches self-restraint and acceptance of personal responsibility for one’s actions. Love teaches we are in control of our lives and we do not blame others for what we ourselves do. But Love also teaches compassion and therefore forgiveness. Nothing is a mistake. We learn when we act or treat others or things in ways that are hurtful, we figure out how to admit responsibility and to move on to better actions. We do not waste time on recriminations. In a world governed by compassion and love, we move on.
As I write this, I think about how difficult it is to use the words Divine and Love – let alone put them together as Divine Love. For so many reasons, it is easier to speak of anger, getting even, blaming others. Our children are here to remind us of this divinity. They remind us we can run, play in the rain, and dance. I saw a short video recently of a toddler playing in the mud and rain. The little one played and splashed mud all over. Laughing delightedly, falling, rolling over in the mud, getting back up to do it again. Sheer joy, sheer delight, sheer abandonment to life. This little one demonstrated how to be completely alive, without hesitation, and without fear of getting “dirty.” As with my divinity, this child reminded me of the possibility of my own sheer abandonment to the experience of my life.