“When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child, but when I became a man (woman), I put away childish things.” 1 Corinthians 13:11
A child’s starts development from an infant and learns more by observing and imitating others than from reading and learning. The monkey see monkey do euphemism is never more true.
If a child’s environment is godly and we tell them they are sweet, and they are loved, and we they will be taken care of and they are important, and we are encouraging and praises them for everything they tried to do, This will help build a sense of belonging, But if their environments was ungodly and they are left alone a great deal then adults have send a message that work or pleasure outside the home are more important than then they are. A harsh father and/or a critical mother, or an alcoholic parent, or parents, where something they do is O.K. today but get punished for it tomorrow and nobody sets boundaries for them, They will grow in physical age, but the emotional behaviors will still be childish because they were never nurtured.
There is a fine balance between loving/ nurturing and controlling and over baring adults. Adults get it wrong alot and children will mimic or not the behavior they grew up with. The adjusted euphemism Monkeys See Monkey do or Not comes to bare.
So I uses 1 Corinthians 13:11. But what does “when I became an adult, I put away childish things.”?
There is a difference between being childish and being childlike. Childish things are immature, petty, silly, Jealousy, not fit for an adult. But, child like things are innocence, obedience, trustfulness, honesty and forgiveness. Jesus described it as a necessary spiritual quality in order to enter the kingdom of heaven. His disciples came to Him saying,
“Who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven? Then Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in the middle of them, and said, ‘Assuredly I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.’” Matthew 18:1-5
As adults as we grow up physically and spiritually, we should always be like children in openness and honesty but as an adult we should not still be acting and behaving like a child does. From the moment we were born our mind begins developing by the affection or lack of affection from adults , parents or teachers. As adults our action are sometimes influenced by thoughts and ideas that were planted during our childhood and are still there and still affect our thinking.
We are all responsible for our own behaviors. When we don’t know why we act the way we do sometimes, it’s the child inside who is behaving that way. When we get angry at people for reacting to things in a way we can’t stand we have to remember that people act out today based on what happened yesterday in all situations. When we begin to acknowledge where those actions come from, we will begin to “grow up” that little child in us.
We all have things in our past. Yes everyone! While it’s true that a godly environment give their children more tools to face life’s situations, In todays world almost every child experiences some devastating circumstances. It doesn’t matter if the devastation was deliberate or not, the effect is still there. As adults we an amazing power to make a child’s a success, or destroy them. Don’t let your childish emotions choose your words to a child. Every person has the Holy Spirit in them and can overcome any circumstances,
We should always turn to the most stable and loving relationship anyone can have. A relationship with our savior is free and just requires you to ask for him to help. The truth about your relationship with God and Jesus will set you free.
“You shall know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:32.
Free from hurts from the past and the necessary forgiveness so you can love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength by His power that works in you.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” Proverbs 22:6.
This includes training up the child that is in you!
The Bible emphasize the importance of imitating godly behavior, rather than blindly copying any behavior we observe. As Christians, we are called to follow the example of Jesus Christ and imitate His love, compassion, humility, and righteousness. We should seek to understand the principles behind the actions we imitate and strive to align our hearts and motives with God’s will.
It is essential to discern between positive and negative influences. While the phrase “Monkey see, monkey do” highlights mindless imitation, as believers, we are encouraged to be discerning and selective in imitating behaviors that align with biblical values. By focusing on imitating Christ and those who exemplify His teachings, we can grow in our faith and become positive influences on others.