Freud, Childhood, & Papas, O MY!

"I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection."

~Sigmund Freud

Sigmund Flipping Freud. Ahh. Allow me to debrief anyone who doesn't hold a substantial amount of background knowledge on this dapper gentleman:

• Austrian neurologist, (late 1800's - early 1900's)
• Founded practice of psychoanalysis
• Believed humans/human psyche driven by unconscious/subconscious desires and thoughts
• Advocate/user of cocaine 
• Had a morbid fear of ferns. (Understandable.)
• Thought of religion as a way to cope with unconscious human desires. 

So there you have it. What interests me the most about dear Sigmund is his fascination with childhood. He developed a theory of Childhood Development that actually freaks me out a bit, but I digress. Freud also had a little bit of a fascination with religion...

Words of wisdom: "Religion is comparable to childhood neurosis." The Future of an Illusion, 1927

Good, according to Freud 84% of the world is in a state of neurosis, and...well, thank goodness for the sane 16% of the world who "hold no religious belief or preference"! Ooof. 

Getting to the point. For us Christians this wisdom from Sigmund is actually pretty cool! For we are called to "become like little children" (Matthew 18:3). If I'm in a state of neurosis, so be it, "for the kingdom of heaven belongs to those who are like little children." (Matthew 19:14). SCORE! 

Why little children? What foolishness and folly! Well, in my opinion it has something to do with the following.

1. Children are innocent. 
2. Children don't always know what's best for them.
3. Children have little or no fear of a stimulus until they see others react to said stimulus with fear or disgust. 
4. Children are up front and brutally honest.
5. Children have light hearts and spirits.
6. Children don't care what other's think about them.
7. Children trust with reckless abandon.
8. Children fully forgive .
9. Children are fully present in the present moment.
10. Children are curious, creative, and hunger for discovery.
11. Children are dependent on others for their needs and wants.

I'm going to focus mainly on the last of the listed qualities: Children are dependent on others for their needs and wants. Tying this in with my opening quote from our pal Freud, "I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection", it makes sense. It is encoded into us as early as infancy all the way into old age to depend on our parents, to be protected. Freud knew this. Looking to the numbers, numerous statistics concerning man different aspects of family life show that the lack of a good father in a home can lead to problems later in life.

Where am I going with this? God wants us to call him Papa. He wants us to be his little children. He wants us to come to him on our knees in humility with abandonment to the world, asking him for our desires, our needs, our wants. He wants to be able to hold our hands when we cross the dangerous roads. He wants to take us to the playgrounds, waterparks, and DISNEYWORLDS of this life. He knows that learning how to be good boys and girls can sometimes involve hardships, time-outs, and chores. He wants us to grow up like him, to follow him, and he is beaming with pride to call us his sons and daughters. How wonderful it is to have a papa. 

Over and Out!

Bridget Ann