Innocence

Once lost is gone forever.

Photo by Larm Rmah on Unsplash

We live in a completely hedonic culture — which, sadly, is the ultimate goal and, in time, eventual attainment of first world countries.

We seek to eliminate any fear of want and then focus our energies on having fun.

This, at first seems equivalent to attaining happiness but, over time, reveals itself to be the spiritual equivalent of a cotton candy binge.

So much of life’s time and energy seem to be focused on striving for security and significance through the acquisition of vaporous stuff.

It’s what the treadmill is all about.

As cultures transition from a focus on survival to seeking a shorter work week, entertainment, as a life priority, expands to fill the void.

And as part of entertainment people begin to lose themselves in addictions. These can be drugs, alcohol, sex, gambling, gossip, envy, hobbies, sports, politics, anything that grips our minds and will not let us go.

Now let’s think about children.

Every child is born in innocence.

What does our culture think about this?

It doesn’t seem to like it as far as I can tell.

Innocent children are a burden because they cramp lifestyles.

They get in the way.

They destroy the fun.

Sure mothers and fathers and some siblings might love these little ones, but not much of the rest of our society, I’m afraid. There is an exception to this, a big one, and it is God.

Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them.

But Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God.

Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”

Luke 18:15-17 (ESV)

Our post modern culture currently fragmented into grievance-cliques seeks to remove innocence in order to claim victimhood and blame oppressors.

This has been taken into nursery and elementary schools where children are being told things about sex and race that in past generations were kept from them until they were much older — in some cases, until adulthood.

Why?

There is something about the innocence of a child that destroys the selfishness of hedonism — the desire to live solely for self-pleasure.

In a way, the innocent infant, the young child, the mentally and physically severely disabled, the infirm, and elderly, who are constantly accused of wasting precious resources, have a critical and profound role to play in society.

They are The Guardians of our Humanity.

We diminish or destroy them at our own peril of losing what it means to be human.

How I behave toward the least of these reveals with high precision the quality of my soul and life.

Here is a favorite reminder of how precious children can be.

Out of the mouth of babies and infants, you have established strength because of your foes, to still the enemy and the avenger.

Psalms 8:2 (ESV)