developing trust

"Police charge Scout leader with sexually assaulting boy" is the headline in the T-C today.

With increasing regularity, these headlines seem to be in front of us. It's hard to know whether these awful occurrences are more common today or are just more publicized and public. There is probably a bit of both.

Children are so innocent. So willing to trust others and give of themselves. They assume the best in people and assume that everyone likes them until told otherwise. They are special and know that what they bring to this earth is different than anyone else out there. There's a marvel that children have at the world around them. A spider web is as mysterious and awe inspiring as the grand canyon. They simply take life as it comes.

That's why it's so hard for us to read these headlines. Someone has robbed these children of their innocence. They will never see the world that way again. Instead, they will see the world as a dangerous place and see the negative in other's they meet. The wonder of everything will be replaced by fear. And heaven forbid, these children grow up with the worldview that people can be exploited and its every person for themselves.

How do we as Christians regain our childlikeness when the world - or others - have robbed us of our innocence and trust? Does the new creation that God promises for us in 1 Corinthians mean that we can can regain the simplicity of a child? Can our hearts become that soft to God again?