Re-Discovering a SACRED View of Childhood

An antidote to a world of outrage

Sacred: Worthy of respect and awe.

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Imagine the difference in the lives of our children as they grow into adulthood if they had embedded in them the belief that they are worthy of respect; that they, simply by being them, inspire awe.

I’m not talking about narcissism on steroids or a sense of braggadocio that hides insecurities. We have politicians for that.

I’m talking about the kind of sacred vision for life that empowers our children to love, to take risks, to value others, to build a better world, and that fills them with resilience.

Here’s a vision you can use to begin to pour into your children that sacred sense of respect and awe:

Sculpt Your Spirit: When someone bumps into us—or our kids—what spills out? What is the substance of life—faith, values, beliefs, character qualities—that holds, molds, and shapes our kids? Sculpting one’s spirit is living with the question: What kind of a person do I want to be? and then immerses one’s self into the gifts of life that help answer that question concretely.

Assess Your Attitude: Here is some wisdom from 2000 years ago that still stands the test of time: Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (Paul of Tarsus, his letter to the Church in Philippi, the Bible). In a world increasingly thinking for us through AI and algorithms, causing us to lose our collective minds with anger and outrage, pouring a sacred vision for thinking differently, for thinking up, not down, will serve our children for all of life. And a hope-filled attitude is far more healthy than being angry or aggrieved all of the time.

Cultivate Curiosity: “Curiosity is the wick in the candle of learning.” – William Arthur Ward. “The mind that opens to a new idea never returns to its original size.” – Albert Einstein. Curious children become wonder-filled, knowledgeable, wise, compassionate adults. The hunger to learn, fed through books, free-play, music, the arts, and new ideas, opens our children up to the awe around them, and the awe in others around them, and ultimately, in themselves.

Re-imagine Responsibility: Bring up the word responsibility to most teenagers and you’ll get an eye-roll or a groan. It’s so borrring! There are so many other exciting things to do. But responsibility is one of the spices of life. Taking responsibility fills us with a sense of fulfillment. It empowers us with… well… power. To know that we can control how we respond to situations—that we can own up when we fail or do something that needs to be done or simply complete our homework or chores—builds substance in our kids lives and moves them from passive observers to active participants in the story of life. And those “serving the community” opportunities helps broaden their place in that story.

Expend Your Energy. It’s a weird, almost counter-intuitive truth that if we want more energy, we need to expend energy. Sitting is the new smoking. And our kids sit a lot. Child obesity is on the rise. Helping our kids find their “exercise” passion—be it cycling, sports, walking, or pickleball—building the habit of physical fitness, along with healthy eating, helps build confidence in them and awe at how amazing their bodies are.

Dare to be Dangerously Good: Those two words together are a bit jarring. Not unlike John Lewis and his call for Good Trouble. To be dangerously good is to live life knowing that our actions matter. They can either build up or destroy. They can have either positive or negative consequences. To be dangerously good is to commit to changing the world for the better through the use of one’s gifts, always guided by compassion and grace.

Our kids will encounter all kinds of visions for their lives as they move through school, social media, and relationships, many of them will be self-serving or anger-based.

We can offer them something different—a sacred vision that fills them with wonder, awe, and compassion.