Scripture study

[Gaze]

So, seeking some perspectives on meaning of a Bible verses from Christians or persons of faith.

1) New Living Translation
When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 1 Corinthians 13:11.

2) New Living Translation
So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. Matthew 18:4

So, I'm curious about your interpretations of these verses which seem at odds but aren't. As a person of faith, what has it meant to you to "put away childish things" as you get older in your faith and age? What do you think it means to be "humble as a little child" even as an adult?

 

[just me]

[SUP]11 [/SUP]When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

[SUP]4 [/SUP]Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

KJV

 

[just me]

The other day I sat in a McDonalds to eat quickly and head on. They had rebuilt the place and was fixing asphalt holes in the parking lot. Having tools in the back of the truck, I usually sit where I can keep an eye on them. I parked at the end where the new inside playground was, so I sat in the large room where the playground was.

A man came in with two little girls that wanted to play, but he had them to eat and do their homework first. I thought how easy it might be to get someone to do their homework. Then, a little girl walked past me summing me up. I smiled at her and kept eating. She went to the other end of the long table I was at and sat down for a minute, then said hello to me. She walked over closer and showed me a sticker of sorts she had. We talked about two minutes before her mother came in and carried her to eat as far away from me as possible. She forgot her sticker for some reason.

She kept looking over at me and smiling, and I smiled back at her. She was precious. Told her Mom she wanted to eat "over there". Her Mom looked and I smiled a bit while she told her daughter no. After about the third time, she got her wishes and the two of them moved to the other end of my long table. Seems she wasn't finished talking. They came to clean the table as they were moving and I told them that sticker was the little girl's. They handed it to her. The atmosphere was calmed and all doubts were now gone.

After talking a wee bit, she asked something I could not understand. I looked at her Mom for help(tinnitus). She told me her daughter wanted to know where my children were. I told her my daughter had a daughter smaller and younger than her. Her Mom told her I was a Grandfather. She acknowledged. I gave a goodbye and went my way.

I don't really know how to explain it in its fullest content, but there was an innocence about her. Yet, she was intelligent. She had no fear. She loved openly. There was no hate in her.

To see a grown man, experienced in the ways of the world, become so humble and so peaceful would really be a sight. Does the other verse really have that much to do with this one?

 

[Flavus Aquila]

The first seems to advocate fullness of Christian/spiritual/moral/intellectual development; the second seems to advocate guileless humility.

I don't see any problem with the two, but rather a nice complementarity: growth in what is good is important; growth in what is not (pride the contrary of humility) is not.

 

[muir]

The three stages of life: childhood, ego development, transcending the ego

many myths cover these stages of development

As a child we are innocent as @just me says then as we grow we strengthen our egos as we develop a sense of ourselves as seperate from everything else and shut ourselves off from that which we make unconscious

In time however we find that our ego bound experience does not feel complete so we find ways to transcend its limitations by engaging with the unconscious (the spiritual path)

This process in turn brings us back to our innocent state as we become less beholden to our ego

 

[Quiet]

The three stages of life: childhood, ego development, transcending the ego

many myths cover these stages of development

As a child we are innocent as @just me says then as we grow we strengthen our egos as we develop a sense of ourselves as seperate from everything else and shut ourselves off from that which we make unconscious

In time however we find that our ego bound experience does not feel complete so we find ways to transcend its limitations by engaging with the unconscious (the spiritual path)

This process in turn brings us back to our innocent state as we become less beholden to our ego

Beautifully said

 

[say what]

I don't really know how to explain it in its fullest content, but there was an innocence about her. Yet, she was intelligent. She had no fear. She loved openly. There was no hate in her.

To see a grown man, experienced in the ways of the world, become so humble and so peaceful would really be a sight.

Children had an amazing effect on us sometimes. They remind us that at one point, we loved all and accepted everything for what it was. Until children are told different is bad, they accept most things and people as they are. It's so refreshing to see the interest and curiosity of kids, that so kind and innocent.