Spiritual Formation
Spiritual formation is profoundly affected by early childhood trauma. Research teaches us that a child learns to trust good, safe parents during the first and second years of life. They look to their parents as “god-like” figures, all powerful, all knowing, with the ability to keep them safe and meet all their needs. This consistent meeting of needs and loving care causes children to form an ability to trust. This initial trust is the foundation of spiritual formation – the ability to one day trust God. But children must learn to trust the seen before they can trust the unseen.
I’ve seen God’s people foster, adopt, and mentor children who have suffered early childhood trauma, and it has encouraged me. Sadly, I’ve also seen many adoptions fail, many foster homes close, and many mentors burnout and quit. I’ve seen the wreckage that can result from trying to tackle a wounded child’s trauma with traditional parenting methods.
Christians have been led to believe that if they just bring children who have suffered early childhood trauma into their homes, if they just love them and pray for them, if they just tell them about Jesus, they will accept Him and grow into all God created them to be. We know that God is the Almighty powerful Healer and He can choose to instantly enable a child to trust… but more often, He uses us to help children learn to trust us and soak up our love, so that one day they can trust Him and soak up His!