Souls of children

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Susan
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Souls of children

Post by Susan »

Hey friends! A message was recently delivered by Matthew, on the importance and struggle of soul development. In this message they spoke of the soul being more dominant (not sure that's the right word) as young children, but losing that soul connection as we grow and differing to the mind instead. Wanting my young children to keep that soul connection, my question is how do parents promote soul development in our children? Things that come to mind are growing in divine love as parents, teaching our babies about the importance of DL, and encouraging prayer. I'd love to hear your advice! Thanks! :)
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AlFike
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Re: Souls of children

Post by AlFike »

Thanks Susan for this question. Our greatest challenge as parents is in how to love our children. Its not a question of how much we love them, rather it is how to express our love in ways that help them to grow. Nurturing their young souls is a complicated matter in as much as we need clarity for ourselves before we can guide others. Unfortunately the world is a dark and dense environment to be fostering sensitivity and openness. There are always those outside forces in the form of adults and children that will insure that the sensitive child struggles and is dominated by those who are less loving. Its the way of the world. I suppose home schooling your kids is one answer but eventually they will have to navigate the world without you. IMHO the only sound approach is to be an example, tell your children every day that you love them, that God loves them and to be an example of what being a light in the world is. Even very young children have free will and will use it in ways that are of a concern. Yet your love and shining example will stay within the hearts and minds of your children and will have an effect on them. Besides teaching the common sense/moral things to your kids, if you can pray with them in a way that they are comfortable with and comforted by, then they have a good head start. It aint easy in this old world but take it from one who has long finished parenting young children, they will take their own path no matter what you do. We taught and tried to model love as best we could at the time so I have no regrets there. Just wish that they would have taken our teaching more seriously. We did not shove anything down their throats but rather talked about God's Love almost daily. They saw us in prayer daily and knew what we were doing. Unfortunately neither sons are overtly practicing the path of Divine Love but the information in in their noggins and I' sure this will come to the fore in time. Patience and forbearance is the key to parenting in my estimation. Hope this helps and much love to you Susan........Al

PS: Prayer for Love and protection is importance and ask God to put the desire for His Love within their souls. You can also be a channel of Divine Love for babies and you can feel that Love flowing through you to them. They feel it too !
Endless journey,endless Love.
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PlenaryGrace
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Re: Souls of children

Post by PlenaryGrace »

Dear Susan,

This question is deeply touches my heart! I second Al's excellent answer.

I dearly wish I had found the Truth when my children were as young as yours are now. Still, as Al said, outside influences are everywhere, especially now with social media!!! Free will is the determining factor, and peer pressure is powerful. It's HARD to communicate Truth in this web of lies on planet earth.

If I had known then what I know now, I may very well have gone the home schooling route. At least during Middle School. It may not be a perfect solution, but, I do believe it helps. Regardless, I would have taught my children all the fundamental Truths as we know them from the Messages, and have done my utmost to live those Truths with my children; by praying together, and using every natural consequence as a teaching moment presenting evidence. Truth leaves a trail! Yet, like Al said, I would seek to be more like a velvet glove than a hammer. Calm and patient. Over and above ALL, I would model God's Love to the best of my ability. Praying for Divine Love myself so that I can share it as a parent, praying for protection for my children (even more than I did).

My parents prayed together at bedtime each night, and with us at the dinner table. They reared four wildly divergent children, but, to a person, we believe in God and the power of prayer. I have no doubt that gift came from my parents prayers. I imagine I was saved much grief and danger through their shared bedtime talks with God!!

I can also share this, though my children were already young adults when I found the Messages, my own transformation has positively impacted them. I am able to model LOVE for them in more powerful, True ways than previously, and they benefit from this. I am also doing what I can to take opportunities to subtly sneak-in those teaching moments. They never fail to roll their eyes, but, as Al said...it's in their noggins!

I pray for their protection and for God to send His angels to whisper Truths into their ears. Eventually, Truth will-out! When we are all on the other side, nothing will be hidden...Divine Love will shine in the countenances of some and not of others.

One of the most powerful benefits I gained in parenting through understanding of Divine Love is that, if God won't interfere with my children's free will, than neither should I. By the Grace of God I have always avoided power struggles with my children. Now, I'm doubly glad that I did. I'm here for them, in Love...and they feel it...

Lastly, I do believe praying for their protection and God's guidance, at least once daily, is vital.

Much Love to you as you navigate the most important job on earth!

Catherine
Terry Adler
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Re: Souls of children

Post by Terry Adler »

"How do parents promote soul development in our children?" One of the best questions ever!
Here are my thoughts in response to this question based on a close reading of Matthew's message of May 28th, 2018, my past experiences as a caregiver of emotionally disturbed children, and present role as caregiver of my best friend who has dementia.

I understand Matthew to be saying that the knowing of our souls differs from the knowing of our minds in that our souls "know" through feeling/sensing, independent of language. In fact, he goes on to say that we become disconnected from this innate feeling capacity we are born with through the conditioning imposed by our caregivers, themselves in bondage to the limitations of their upbringing and cultural learning which favour the mind's ways of knowing, particularly in our Western world.

Babies exist in a sea of emotions/feelings. The capacity to feel is their primary mode of relating to, decoding information from and making sense of the world and people in it. This is because at birth, they primarily operate from soul, via the soul's abilities to feel/sense. This capacity begins to be shut down (for some, even in utero) due to the layers of thoughts and conditions carried by their parents, mostly unconsciously. No parent deliberately shuts down their child's innate innocence and emotional openness, they just behave as they themselves have learned to behave in order to survive their own childhood.

Matthew says and other Celestial Teachers tell us, that to come to know God one must use the faculties of the soul. But these faculties tend to be shut down, dormant, unknown to us. Matthew says further . . . "To come to know the soul, one must use prayer to speak to God with heartfelt longings, to come to desire the power of Divine Love, the Love of God, the Essence of God to flow into your soul that it may be awakened, that these faculties, these instruments of understanding be awakened within you that you may be enlightened from that deep place, that deep knowing that is your soul."

So what is a parent to do? First and foremost, as Catherine and Al have said, a parent most activate their own soul through prayer for Divine Love. One cannot give or model something that one does not have within themselves/know within themselves. Secondly, one must be prepared to cultivate "two-eyed seeing", looking both at the child and at oneself simultaneously, being alert to what the child is feeling while at the same time "listening" to what your own feelings are AND holding both with love and care! Thirdly, one must develop new strategies to respond to your children's challenging behaviours so you do not simply repeat strategies that resulted in you shutting down. And fourth, pray, pray, pray, not only at select times but throughout the day, especially at moments when you are about to "lose it", to repeat a nagging, punitive or dismissive response to a child. Pray to remain in the Love, to be helped to act in Love, to respond from the love in your own soul rather from your judgmental, harried mind.

I mentioned I am caregiver for my best friend who has dementia. As they lose their cognition, people with dementia fall back on their feeling capacity for survival. That means that, like a child, they rely on their feeling sense of who is safe, who is genuine, who is to be trusted or feared, because their minds can no longer play this protective role. Caregivers who know this, and who are open-hearted, pick up on the feelings of the demented person and respond to the unspoken feeling. This calls for creativity, it calls for introspection and willingness to take responsibility and deal with what comes up for the caregiver in their role (loss, frustration, anger, fear, feelings of inadequacy, etcetera).

Susan's question calls for looking closely at what we understand by "soul", "prayer", "feelings". Sometimes our
conventional understandings are superficial and only through deepening our knowing through prayerful receipt of the Love can we "know" the meaning of these key concepts on a soul level, rather than a mind level. And then of course, we face the challenge of translating what is essentially a wordless knowing into words! It is all a work in progress, for each one of us!

Look forward to reading more in response to this question!
with love,
Terry
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Susan
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Re: Souls of children

Post by Susan »

Thank you friends for your insight! :) Hugs!
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Re: Souls of children

Post by Brooke »

Terry, thank you! You touched on dementia and caregivers and I am one. Never in my forward thinking when I returned to my hometown
in 2013 that I would be in this position for my now as of tomorrow 90-year-old mother. Some days are more challenging than others and having Divine Love to now help in ways I recognize is precious.
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