“I am convinced by my own life and by wide observation of children that mystical experience is much more common than is usually supposed . . . They have more room for surprise and wonder. They are more sensitive to intimations, flashes, openings. The invisible impinges on their souls and they feel its reality as something quite natural.” — Rufus Jones
A friend of mine in my high school art class (who went on to become a professional artist) used to say, “We should not teach children how to paint, rather we should let them teach us.” I believe he was inspired by Pablo Picasso, who said “Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
Which reminds me of one of the most memorable teachings of Jesus: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Try to read that without projecting Puritanical sternness into Jesus’s words: he’s not threatening to shut us grown-ups out, but simply encouraging us to recognize that the gate to heaven might be as accessible (and fun!) as taking time to play with the children in your life.
The American Quaker mystic Rufus Jones (1863-1938) brings these ideas to bear on his understanding of mysticism. He sees in children not only a natural mysticism, but also evidence that mystical experience is much more widespread than us uptight adults might want to admit. Linking the contemplative life to “surprise and wonder” as well as “flashes” and “openings” of supernatural insight, Jones connects the dots between unselfconscious play and a life shaped by the indwelling Spirit.
When I get stuck in my big person space, I can fall into the trap of seeing mysticism (and the life-expanding presence of the Spirit within) as something remote, inaccessible, not readily available to us mere mortals. God bless the children who don’t worry about being “worthy” or “ready” for a deep experience of the mystery — they simply let it flow, with no commentary or fuss, just plenty of laughter and joy.
May we follow their lead.
Quotation Source: Rufus Jones: Essential Writings, ed. Kerry S. Walters (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001), 80.