Article March 26, 2018 Issue

The power of innocence

Laura Clayton

I had a discussion with a six-year-old the other day about the meaning of mercy. It was in a Sunday School class, and I wasn’t sure whether the boy was familiar with that word or not. Without hesitation, he said simply, “It means being nice!” He clearly knew the meaning of nice as well, for he began to tell me of times when he had been caring and loving toward others.

I was touched by his pure innocence. I thought, Here is real spiritual power—something strong and mighty! To be innocent, I reasoned later, means to be above suspicion, without blame, guileless, pure, honest, and undefiled.

But I’ve asked myself, Does innocence need to vanish after childhood? The answer is no, innocence belongs eternally to each of us because it has a divine and spiritual, rather than a human, origin. However, we must awaken more fully to our spiritual innocence and actively bring it out in our lives, even if we think we’ve lost sight of it.

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Article

God’s mercy when you’re in over your head