When I think of the purest form of an imperfect human being, I think of a child. Children, in general, are deemed to be the most innocent beings on earth. They are sweet, thoughtful, gentle, and free. They are passionate, big dreamers, and they love and are worry-free.
This describes many children. They will dance when no one is looking. They will dance when everyone is watching. Their toothless smiles bring joy and laughter. They’re the most precious little people on earth, so what does that make us? Well… We were once children too. Aren’t we too the most precious people on earth?
Discovering My Inner Child
I have thought about this over and over again. What makes me different from a child? My conclusion is… nothing. I like to believe my inner child is still inside me dancing while no one is looking and dancing while everyone is watching. My inner child is still inside dreaming, smiling, and being worry-free.
My inner child remembers the days when mama worked and came home and cooked. She remembers when she didn’t have to worry about what she was going to eat, where she was going to sleep, bills, etc. My inner child wants to go back to the days when we dreamed of doing big things and helping people. She was full of confidence and could not wait to grow up to be successful.
So what happened to my inner child? I believe what happened to her is what happened to most of our inner children. She got buried in pain, disappointments, insecurities, shame, guilt, self-hate, an unbelieving heart, a poor mind, and so on.
Discovering Your Inner Child
Perhaps your inner child got buried too. Maybe as you got older your parents tried to protect you from the harsh realities of this world. But in the end, they only stunt your growth. Maybe you witnessed too much growing up, and it has left you scarred. Perhaps you were forced to grow up faster than you should have, so you did not have much of a childhood. It is possible you were hurt in unimaginable ways. Maybe the pain stuck around causing you to feel insecure, worthless, or unloved. No matter what your story is, and no matter where you are in life, your inner child still lives deep inside you begging for attention — your attention.
What Happened To Our Inner Children
If you are like me, you became the “mom,” “dad,” or an authoritative controlling figure of your inner child. I had big dreams of becoming a top well-known fashion designer when I was younger. I had plans to attend school and learn every sewing technique possible. Upon graduation, I dreamed of creating my own line and starting a foundation to help people. My dreams were short-lived because I was told I could not do it, and it was impossible for someone like me to achieve that.
Being told that by the one person I looked up to and admired the most, I quickly buried my inner child along with my dreams. Every so often the desire would reappear, but I settled for jobs I didn’t want to protect my inner child.
Unfortunately, this became a cycle for other deep longing desires I had/have in my life. I want to spread love and promote self-love, but my “mom side” told my inner child no one wants to hear that. They won’t listen to you. I want to get married one day and share my life with someone special, but my “mom side” told my inner child it’s probably best to stay single, so we do not get hurt again. I want to start my blog and business, write books, and share what I’ve learned with so many people, but my “mom side” told me to remember what we were told. We can’t.
Setting My Inner Child Free
I had to step out of myself and see that little girl Jasmine. The little girl that used to take her mom’s magazines and redraw the clothes she saw, adding her own style. The same little girl who used to sit for hours picturing what clothes she wanted to design. She was so happy and excited. She was so ambitious, willing, fearless, and kind. Most importantly, she was free. I had to tell that same little girl God placed those ideas in her heart and in her mind for a reason. Explore them and don’t allow anyone to tell you, you can’t. Not even me.
I have decided to allow my inner child to break through and be free because she deserves it. To be honest, I have had her hidden away for so long it is not an easy adjustment, but I lie and I meditate on that sweet innocent child. Every time I become afraid, I fight to give my inner child a chance, and I tell myself “you can.” So here I am today telling myself “I can” by sharing my first post with you.
If you are like me, then you can relate to the struggle and emotional battle of trying to believe in yourself when you were directly or indirectly taught not to. I write so that you may know that you are not alone. I write to encourage you as I encourage myself through writing.
Set Your Inner Child Free
Find your inner child. He or she is wherever you left them feeling abandoned, sad, and scared. Once you get a hold of your inner child, love yourself. Forgive yourself in a loving way and remember you only did what you thought was right. You did not know any better. Now that you do, it is time to work towards a better you, so give yourself grace, love yourself more, and live freely in Christ.
Thank you for reading my first post. I pray this speaks to you.
Love,
Jaz ❤️❤️❤️
Loving
Yourself
Is
Beautiful
