Childlike vs Childish
I’m going to get to where this comparison came from later on, but I looked up the words childlike and childish expecting they’d have completely different meanings. However, much to my surprise these two words don’t differ all that much in definition, but definitely do in connotation. It’s like the difference between sweetly calling your dear mom “Mother, dearest” vs calling her “Mother Dearest”. The latter of the two probably has you picturing wire hangers and a mom off her rocker. They are actually synonyms (can be used interchangeably), both with the definition, “of, like, or befitting a child.” Same words with entirely different connotations, and a synonym study in the dictionary confirmed that.
Childish often refers to or connotes a lack of maturity, “characteristics that are undesirable and unpleasant”; the things we expect of children who’ve yet to be taught any different or are learning the difference, but not of adults who we assume should “know better”. I can think of a few people I’ve interacted with or observed about whom I believed their behavior to be childish—bickering, inability to get along with others, selfish, “outbursts of temper”… you get the point. I’m sure you can picture a few childish individuals as well.
Childlike often connotes the presence of innocence and carefreeness, “characteristics that are desirable and admirable”. I would also describe childlike to be easily trusting and having an innate knowing of where to go when experiencing pain or discomfort or joy or sadness or [any other situation or emotion]. As a child, when you’d fall out of a climbing tree or fall off your bike or trip over your own feet and scrape your knee, you’d go to your parents. I also understand this is probably in a hopeful situation.
After working with homeless youth and youth in foster care, I know it is not the case that every child has the parents they can go to, but I know the innate desire is to be able to be comforted by parents. I remember when we lost Zadok, I wanted my parents. Regardless of how our relationship was growing up, healing had since occurred and I wanted my parents. They dropped all their plans, whatever they had going on and they came to me 2 days later. However, there’s only so much they could do to comfort me. At the end of the day, I needed Daddy God to do the comforting.
I’ve often said that I don’t hide my inner child away in any back room or the furthest closet in the corner of the basement. No, I let them sit on the couch, play in the living room, and greet guests as they walk in the front door… We are well acquainted. This last February I was on my way to church when the enemy tried to use my close acquaintance with my inner child against me in the childish connotation. I remember sitting at the red light when I’d had a thought that included a few women at church. The enemy quickly interjected, “You’re just a child and with that inner child so close you’ll always be just a child. No one will listen to you.” So out loud I responded, “Enemy, you try to use my close acquaintance with my inner child against me to keep me from believing I can speak with maturity, believing people see me as a child. But I DO have the faith of a child AND it doesn’t matter how they see me, what matters is my obedience.” Yes, friends. I talk out loud to the Lord and I yell back at the devil. lol
I got to church a little late, so they were sitting down from worship when I arrived… which was weird, cause I was only 10 minutes late and Hope Church does not only worship in song for 10 minutes. However, that night Josh and Charity taught on worship based on scripture and various words for praise and worship, so worship resumed later on. Sometimes when we battle it out with the enemy, we still feel the sting… or at least that night I did. I could still feel the sting of the enemy’s accusations. So the LORD in all His goodness showed up. Seriously, that night there were 2 individuals who came up to me at 2 different times with visions they’d seen me in. Both of them they saw me as a child; 1 as a child dancing and 1 as a child on a battlefield but fully confident in watching her Father fighting on her behalf.
P A U S E
Maybe the thought of being in-touch with your inner child sounds impossible because you left them in your childhood where painful things happened. To that, I am sorry and I understand. I really do. Several years ago before Mason and I got married, light was shown on some ugly childhood happenings that had been hidden in the painful shadows for 10+ years. I went to counseling to confront said situations, where I had to allow little-girl-Charis to emote the things she couldn’t back then. I had to validate how she felt about the situations she’d (I’d) never spoken to anyone. And then I had to invite God into those same painful places to bring healing… and that He did. There’s so much freedom that comes with giving a voice to what was locked in silence and healing from what the enemy intended to keep you in bondage. If that’s your story, I’d encourage you to seek counseling and to invite God to heal the places you may feel its impossible for Him to reach. Your inner child will thank you.
P L A Y
What I learned that night was that Father wanted to protect my knowing I’m a child. He wanted to reinforce my belief in being a child and being well acquainted with my inner child. That was a theme that continued throughout the next months. What I’ve learned since that day and why the enemy wanted to attack my childlikeness is that being a child, specifically HIS child is directly linked to our identity. We are children of God, if children then heirs, if heirs, then co-heirs with Jesus Christ. Romans 8:17 in The Passion Translation says this:
“And since we are his true children, we qualify to share all his treasures, for indeed, we are heirs of God himself. And since we are joined to Christ, we also inherit all that he is and all that he has.* We will experience being co-glorified with him provided that we accept his sufferings as our own.”
*Or “we are joint-heirs with Christ.”
Friends, when we realize our position in the family of God as His child everything changes. You know your value. You know your place at His table. You know His faithfulness. You know you can trust your Father no matter what. You know to whom you belong. You know His provision. You know you don’t have to beg. You know you’ll never go hungry. You know the table will never be too small for more children to be added, so you love others as such. You love those around you with the full knowledge that God wants an intimate relationship with them too, to be Good Father in their eyes as well. When you know you are His child, everything changes! So of course the enemy wants to attack that! For you to walk in the full knowing of your childness, your sonship, your daughtership (I know not actually a word), you would be unstoppable with Holy Spirit on your team. That’s a GAME OVER for the enemy. Romans 8:14 in the same translation says, “The mature children of God are those who are moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit.”
This isn’t the direction I planned on going with this, but that’s the beauty of being His child… “being moved by the impulses of the Holy Spirit” in all things. I do want you to tap into your inner child, but more than that I want you to live with childlike wonder in your eyes and heart. I want you to know that when you accept Jesus into your heart and become part of His family, you are considered a child of God, a co-heir with Christ. I challenge you to shift your perspective and heart position from childish faith where you throw temper-tantrums and get angry when you don’t get what you want when you want it to childlike faith where you trust who your Father is, you trust He’s a good Father [to you not just to everyone else], you trust He is faithful and keeps His promises, you know you’re His child and not an orphan any more, and you expect the inheritance He’s already said is yours.
There is such freedom and beauty in knowing you are His, so adventure on, my friends, as you begin to explore life daily with childlike wonder.
Additional Verses (emphasis added by me):
“Foolish ones, how much longer will you cling to your deception?*” Proverbs 1:22a TPT * Or “Childish ones, how long will you love your childishness?”
“Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children.” Ephesians 5:1 ESV
““Learn this well: Unless you dramatically change your way of thinking and
become teachable, and learn about heaven’s kingdom realm with the wide-eyed wonder of a child, you will never be able to enter in. Whoever continually humbles himself to become like this gentle child is the greatest one in heaven’s kingdom realm. And if you tenderly care for this little one on my behalf, you are tenderly caring for me.” Matthew 18:3-5 TPT
“Even with me the Lord was angry on your account and said, ‘You also shall not go in there. Joshua the son of Nun, who stands before you, he shall enter. Encourage him, for he shall cause Israel to inherit it. And as for your little ones, who you said would become a prey, and your children, who today have no knowledge of good or evil, they shall go in there. And to them I will give it, and they shall possess it.” Deuteronomy 1:37-39 ESV
Need some help tapping into your inner child?
Here are some ideas to get ya started!
Have a nerf war at home
Bake cookies and decorate them
Ride on the back of a buggy (or some say “shopping cart”) while doing groceries… and don’t care who’s watching!
Finger paint
Grab your crayons or color pencils and coloring book and color
Build a fort in your living room
Make a pallet of pillows or mattresses in your living room and watch a movie
Giggle with your girlfriends
Play dress-up
Watch all the animated movies
Have hot cocoa for breakfast (not like this was actually allowed as kids lol)
Talk to your pet(s)
Sleep in a tent indoors or outdoors and make up stories… and make s’mores!
Paint each other’s nails
Go on girl dates with your girlfriends
Do karaoke
Take funny pictures
Dance in the rain
Play in the mud
Roll down a grassy hill
Do an arts & crafts project
Print out and color Flat Stanley and take him on adventures… and take pictures
Go to a theme park or a water park
Make a face with your food
Walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm with your bestie
Skip to your Lou (for however long you can before you need to catch your breath)
Go on an adventure and explore
Turn on kids’ music and have a dance party (I have a trolls radio on Pandora… it’s the best!)
Watch movies that challenge you to let your inner child to come out and play and not be afraid of the childlike wonder waiting to be beheld… like Christopher Robin and The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind.
I’m not saying shirk your responsibilities. But I am saying to add some pure, unadulterated, childlike fun to your life. Adulting is serious business and we all have responsibilities… which is why it’s important to keep your inner child close and let them out every now and then.
Don’t forget to HAVE FUN!!