{"id":2539,"date":"2010-04-13T08:00:03","date_gmt":"2010-04-13T12:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/?p=2539"},"modified":"2025-06-25T09:15:13","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T13:15:13","slug":"adults-build-walls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mintools.com\/blog\/adults-build-walls.htm","title":{"rendered":"Adults Build Walls"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"JesusJesus said His followers need\u00a0to be like little children (Matt. 18:3; 19:14)<\/span>.<\/p>\n

Here is the problem:\u00a0 By the time we have reached adulthood, that child-like trust, transparency, and sense of awe so vital to our spiritual growth and relationships with one another has been replaced with walls.<\/p>\n

Adults Build Walls for Different Reasons<\/h2>\n

Walls to Block Out Unwanted Feelings:<\/p>\n

How quickly we learn that life doesn’t always go our way, that it sometimes includes suffering.\u00a0 Bad things do happen to good people.\u00a0 And, it doesn’t feel good.\u00a0\u00a0 We try to block out the negative reactions these events can cause, repressing our feelings.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Perhaps we have learned along the way that big boys don’t cry, that we shouldn’t be a wimp.\u00a0 We may have gotten pegged as not having enough faith.\u00a0 If we don’t feel, then we won’t react.\u00a0 If we don’t react, we won’t have to be uncomfortable around others.\u00a0 We’ve learned to mask our feelings so well that sometimes we aren’t even honest with ourselves about how we feel about both the good and bad of life.<\/p>\n

Result:<\/em>\u00a0 We lose that child-like awe and wonder.<\/p>\n

Walls to Keep a Distance Between Us and Other People:<\/p>\n

Too often, as children, we are hurt by the very people who we most look to for care, understanding, attention, and love … parents, family, teachers, best friends.\u00a0 Perhaps we were neglected, abused, rejected, or betrayed.\u00a0 We feel like we’ve been let down.\u00a0 Relational hurts, especially those experienced early in life, can cause us to say, “Never again.”\u00a0\u00a0We try to prevent the same thing from reoccurring.<\/p>\n

Result:<\/em>\u00a0 We no longer have that child-like trust.<\/p>\n

Walls to Hide Who We Really Are:<\/p>\n

We didn’t make the grade, get the part, or win the competition.\u00a0 We felt the shame of disappointing our parents or teachers.\u00a0 We were put down one too many times.\u00a0 Soon we don’t even like ourselves.\u00a0 We begin to play the part, saying and doing what we feel people expect of us.\u00a0 We don’t want others to see our weaknesses or failures so we begin to make excuses or blame someone or something else.<\/p>\n

Result:<\/em>\u00a0 We no longer have that child-like transparency.<\/p>\n

Walls Can Keep Us From Growing Spiritually<\/h2>\n

If you are a teacher of an adult Bible class, you soon realize that these same walls also keep truth and growth opportunities from getting in.\u00a0 Consequently, part of our task as teachers of adults is breaking walls down.<\/p>\n

\"Breaking<\/a>The Breaking Walls Down\u00a0Training Session for Teachers of Adult Bible\u00a0Classes<\/a> gives nine different tools you can use to chisel away at those walls.<\/p>\n

Breaking down the walls in your life<\/a> will probably take you out of your comfort zone.\u00a0 You may not feel safe.\u00a0 So, start in your relationship with the Lord.\u00a0 Find your security in Him.\u00a0 Get a sense of how much He truly is there for you, working on your behalf.\u00a0 Pull on the power and resources He extends to you. Then, if others let you down or if life gets hard, you can be okay because your source of significance is in Him.\u00a0 You are loved with an unending love.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jesus said his followers need to be like little children (Matt. 19:14). Here is the problem: By the time we have reached adulthood, that child-like trust, transparency, and sense of awe so vital to our spiritual growth and relationships with one another has been replaced with walls. Walls that block out . . . Continue reading Adults Build Walls<\/span>→<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-adult-ministries"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\t