Tag Archives: Children

Is There Life after Birth

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youth-twins-in-wombIn a mother, there are two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense,” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover, if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery, there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

life-after-delivery-storyThe first replied “Mother? Do you actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her, this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above.”

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Author BIO:  Útmutató a Léleknek is a Hungarian writer whose writings inspire and challenge readers to see the unseen, imagine the unimaginable, and to think beyond what seems obvious in the world around us.

Learn How to Give a Hug and Change the World

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Believe it or not for all of you huggers out there, there are actually some people in the world that are so wrapped up in themselves that they really don’t like give or receive hugs unless it is for some selfish reason.  I don’t know why.  It really defies my understanding of what life is all about, but just the same, it happens.   For all of your other rogue members of society, I implore you – learn how to give a hug and change the world around you.

If you have found this article as a result of wanting to learn how to hug someone appropriately, you might find some of this information helpful.  At the very core of a hug itself, there is a basic human need for physical touch.  Scientific research has showed a direct correlation between the amount of physical touch and one’s mental and physical well-being; and, hugging people is one of the best non-threatening ways to give physical touch in a healthy way.  Hugs, like that of a genuine smile towards someone, is as powerful a remedy of sadness or gloom as anything else one can give away for free to anyone where there is no cost to the giver of it.  If anything, when given appropriately and with the right motives, a hug can change the entire day in the life of someone who is struggling, in the same way a smile can. BUT WOW!  Imagine a day when you are feeling really beaten up by the world, alone, or unappreciated, and someone comes up to you with a smile on their face and gives you a big sincere hug! It can change your whole perspective on the day if you receive it!  Right?

Of course, there is a right way and a wrong way to hug people.  Knowing this is not rocket science.  Most people can sense the motive behind most hugs or the sincerity of them, so having the right motive in hugging people is really the main thing to consider.  Do you hug someone out of a lustful or selfish desire to fulfill your own needs?  Only you can be the one to say if this is your motive, but rest assured, most people, especially those of the opposite sex can sense the motive and nature of the individual giving the hug.  This fear can lead to people even regulating hugs! Crazy as this sounds, in certain circles of society where any physical contact with the opposite sex is questionable, you might be taught that any sort of frontal contact with the opposite sex while hugging is wrong.  I will let God be the judge of that. Personally, there is no where in Scripture that indicates that, i.e. how to appropriately hug someone of the opposite sex.

When you hug out of a great desire to show others – speaking of adults – that they are valued and respected, and appreciated, they feel it!  Children in general love to be hugged unless the person hugging them has been physically abusive to them in some way.  Children NEED hugs – lots of hugs – healthy appropriate hugs – that give them a sense of belonging, of being cared about and protected.  In a world that is filled with so much stress and conflict, pain and suffering, humans often put up walls of protection to shield them from this pain – a sort of emotional barrier.  This is especially true in those who suffer traumatic experiences in their lives.  One of the first things to go in a person’s life when emotionally stressful things happen is their willingness to hug or to be hugged.  It is one of the ways they detach from the world around them – a sort of self-preservation mode.

Jesus gave hugs to men and women as if they were long lost friends.  He embraced everyone with the same intensity, and the same heart – one of true love, caring, and compassion.  I’m not dissing these groups that have rules on what is appropriate and what is not, but I really do find that they often overstep their bounds in regulating love and the motives of peoples’ hearts in hugging.  For me personally, I say hug everyone as if they are a long lost friend or family member!   Embrace everyone with the greatest respect and admiration for their existence in the knowledge that God created them with as much care and as much love as they did you.

If you do hug people, I encourage you to look within and check your motives in giving hugs to people – especially those of the opposite sex.  Above all, find a reason that is not self-centered or self-promoting.  When you find a reason or motive to hug that is not self-promoting or self-centered, you will begin to change the world around you one life at a time.  Everyone needs healthy physical contact.  We are hard wired for it.  Hugging someone can be a powerful way to bring healing, comfort, hope and encouragement to them.  If you are not prone to hugging others, learn how to give a hug and change the world around you.  Most of all though, if you do, it will radically change your life in the process.

Here is a video that really caught my attention.  As simple as the idea was, it is revolutionary in today’s busy, impersonal and suspicious world.  Honestly, at first I thought it a hoax and that it was all staged.  I have come to learn that it is actually a real event that has started a worldwide movement – a movement to hug people!  Enjoy!

XXX

If you are inspired by this video as most, chances are you will end up hugging a few more people than you might have in the coming days.  We applaud you!  Who have you hugged today?  Who will you hug today?  And, why those hugs be for all the right reasons that leave someone enriched and with a sense of gratitude that you reached out to them and encouraged them.

Why are Children so Important

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The Biblical Mandate

God has always demonstrated a special place in his heart for children. All throughout scripture God refers to children as a “gift”, a “blessing”, a “reward” etc. Jesus Christ himself came to the earth as a baby and even in his child-state fully embodied the Kingdom of God. In the same way, in their sanctified nature, children are capable of embodying the kingdom of God.

They are spiritual beings and receive the same impartation of the Holy Spirit as adults do. God does not show partiality and gives of himself freely to all mankind in pursuit of him regardless of age. In fact, Christ’s mandate was clear when he said, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Mt. 19:14)

It is the very desire of Jesus that children have unfettered access to Him, for they have been predestined to inherit his kingdom. God in his great wisdom has positioned mankind so that in fact, it is only together with children that we can gain a more clear understanding of the Kingdom.

(“Mt.11:25-26) “Jesus said, ‘I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this was your good pleasure’”

(Mt.18:3-4) “I tell you the truth unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven”

Children are an integral part of the body of Christ, and a gift from God in revealing his kingdom here on earth. Children are to be loved, valued, and welcomed in the body of Christ. (Mt.18:5)

Having Kingdom Values

We are living in such a unique juncture of time in human history and never before has it been so vital that we possess kingdom values in relation to children. Children are the primary people group on planet earth (52% of the earth’s population is under 15), and the earth is yielding the greatest harvest field ever before in time (over 6 billion people). God is setting up the playing field for the greatest revival of youth and children the world has ever seen. As believers, we must begin to reassess our priorities and values and get them lined up with God’s. God is calling us to overcome old wineskin mindsets towards children and to contend for the new thing that God wants to do in them and through them.

Most churches are not prepared for the harvest because we don’t yet value children spiritually as we should. As believers we must seek to have Kingdom values and we need to begin to advocate for others to pursue the same—so that our hearts, resources, structures, etc. are in line with what God is doing with children.

Becoming a True Intergenerational Church

In John 17 Jesus expresses his desire for us to become one with the Father and one with each other. We believe a huge part of the unity that Christ desires is for intergenerational unity—the whole body, or family of God, working together to glorify Christ. Children are an integral part of the body of Christ and must be trained and equipped to function within the body. The word of God confirms that children are not exempt in ministry,

(Joel 2:28) “I will pour out my spirit on all people, Your sons and daughters will prophesy,..”

(Ps. 8:2) “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger”

(Ps. 127:3-5) “Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one’s youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.”

Children are the church of today, and are filled with God-given purpose for this hour. Children should be trained up in the deep things of God and equipped in the undiluted Gospel of the Kingdom. Adults and children must learn to work together in unity so that the promises of John 17 (“so the world may believe”) will be released. God is restoring our understanding of family, both in the natural and in the spirit. It is the desire of God that his entire family work interdependently, valuing what each member carries. Children have much to offer and we must take them seriously.

It is vital that we disciple them intentionally and include them in real, tangible ways. We need to posture ourselves, our ministries, and our structures in the spirit of true intergenerational unity. God is shaking our old mindsets and structures of how we view the church, and is bringing us to a place of wholeness—the whole church, the whole bride, being made ready.

Submitted by, Jennifer Toledo

Be Careful Little Eyes What You See – Guarding Your Eyes Against Temptation

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Every once in a while I hear a song that I have heard sung in vacation Bible schools and Sunday school classes by children since the time I first began to walk with Jesus. It goes something like this. “Be careful little eyes what you see, Be careful little eyes what you see, for the Father up above is looking down with Love, So be careful little eyes what you see…” I love that song. So simple, yet so profound when it comes to spiritual warfare, and the devil’s ongoing attack on the mind of man.

I doubt very few young people even understand the significance of that song when they sing it, that by guarding your eyes you can in effect guard against temptation. There is nothing like hearing children singing this, especially in knowing that the words are being deeply seated in their being in preparation for the great battle for their very soul as they grow to become accountable for their lives before G-d.

It is unfortunate that as children grow up that they lose the memory of these words. As adults, many men and women that profess to know G-d personally have not learned from their childhood, or even the common sense lessons of life, of how to put this simple song into practice, or the severe consequences of not doing so. Too many men and women allow their wondering eyes to lead them into thoughts and temptations that they ultimately fall victim to, and from those events destructive patterns begin to take root deep in the human soul. In many cases, these habits ultimately lead them into bondage as they give in to temptation after temptation leading them to say and do things they would never have thought they could do.

Casting Crowns came out with a song that riffs off of this song called Slow Fade. If you have not heard it, take a moment to visit jango.com and do a search for it. It is a great reminder not only to those who would allow their eyes to wonder for their own protection, but a reminder for those of us with children, and the onlookers who look up to us for guidance and spiritual strength. We must be careful little what we choose to set our eyes upon. Very careful. If not, the destructive and humiliating consequences will have their affect on us, and it will not be a pretty picture to look at of a life if we were made to be transparent in our lives as it will be in the Day of Judgment.

Today, as you go about your day, whether here online or in your ‘real world’ experience, take the time to monitor your eyes and what they look at. Consider the thoughts that arise and ask yourself, “If my thoughts were to be heard out loud by my closest friends, my dad, my mom, MY CHILDREN, MY HUSBAND or MY WIFE, what would they say? What would they think of me as a person? Choose today to make a covenant with your eyes and rise above mediocrity and the way the world chooses to live. If you need help or encouragement in this area, write us at: ruined [at] ruinedfortheordinary.com. We are for your success.