What did you do effortlessly as a child before the world told you who to be? If you’re wondering how God speaks through your childhood, it may be hidden in those very moments.
As we move into adulthood, responsibilities increase. We let some of those childhood activities go thinking they are frivolous, immature, or not worth the investment of time and money considering everything else on our plate.
What if the things you loved as a child weren’t just hobbies – but God-ordained beginnings? What if those earliest pieces of your history hold glimmers of God in you, being with you, speaking to you?
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end.” ~ Ecclesiastes 3:11 NIV
God has set eternity in the human heart, and we can see glimpses of it in our own stories. The things we were drawn to as children often carry hints of who God designed us to be and how He uniquely communicates with us.
How God Speaks Through Your Childhood Activities
I had a diary…with a key. Is anyone else flooded with the same warm sense of satisfaction that brings back for me? That diary was private from any snooping eyes tempted to peek into my treasured thoughts.
I wish I still had that diary. I would love to read the details from back then…my teacher’s name that year, the latest friend drama, my current heartthrob. I’m a processor…I like to hash out my thoughts and feelings through writing. I bet I shared some struggles I was going through…posed some questions…wrote down some of my dreams.
As a second grader, I doubt I had a To-Do list including “Write in diary.” I wasn’t trying to be productive or achieve. There was no agenda. I just wrote.
Writing in that diary felt like a safe place to share my internal world. It made me feel calmer. Looking back, I now see that one of the earliest ways I experienced how God speaks to me was through quiet, reflective writing.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”
~ Psalm 34:18 NIV
I also loved being physically active as a kid.
I’d put on a Michael Jackson record, slip into my rainbow leg warmers, and start doing leg lifts. I’m sure my form wasn’t perfect, but thankfully my young body didn’t mind. In the summer, I’d ride my purple bike or play Four Square and Freeze Tag with the neighborhood kids.
I wasn’t counting steps or calories, training for a team or trying to earn a medal. I was just moving. Breathing. Laughing. Being with friends.
At that age I probably was not thinking, “Wow, my mood feels lightened! I have more energy, my brain feels clearer, I’m not as anxious…” But my body knew – moving grounded me. Even as a child, movement helped regulate my emotions. That’s how God speaks through your childhood…by showing you where your peace lives.
“For in Him we live and move and have our being…” ~ Acts 17:28 NIV
The God Connection: Then and Now
I have been journaling for decades now. But it’s not just a habit, it’s a lifeline. Often what flows from my hand to my paper are things that I didn’t even realize were on my mind or heart. It is how I start my day (with coffee…of course).
What I once did naturally, I now do intentionally. But the roots were always there. What began as diary entries are now Spirit-led conversations. I said I wished I still had my childhood diary. Now I save my journals and revisit them.
They are evidence of how God works in my life, have increased my trust in Him, and have led me to take action in ways I would never have imagined: a cross-country move when I never thought I would leave my beloved Midwest roots…clarity to hold to healthy boundaries in my 21-year marriage…and direction one step at a time when it ended in a heart-breaking divorce…buying a townhome upon God’s prompting and realizing months later what a saving grace that was when the COVID-19 pandemic seller’s market hit.…more fully embarking on a dream God spoke to me about nearly 15 years ago.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will make your paths straight.” ~ Proverbs 3:5-6 NIV
And I still move. Not to perform, but to reconnect – with my body, my breath, and with God. Whether I’m walking, stretching, doing Pilates, dancing, or cleaning house, movement is a life-giving daily practice.
Just like computers need to be rebooted to function efficiently, movement resets my mind and my body. It brings me back to God, back to peace.
After my mom passed away I had one of those deeply heavy days. I told myself I’d go home and have a good, cleansing cry. I could feel the lump in my throat, and I knew I needed space to let it out…to process…to breathe. But first, I did Pilates after work. By the time I got home, the urge to cry had quietly passed.
The movement, breathing, and mind-body connection during Pilates had brought me back to my center. The sadness that had been lodged earlier was replaced with peace.
“And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:7 NIV
I didn’t know it back then, but those childhood moments weren’t just hobbies – they were destined beginnings. God the Master Architect was drawing near to me and aligning me with His design over my life.
Your design is on purpose. Look back – you’ll see the fingerprints.
How God Speaks Through Your Childhood…Even Now
- What did you love as a child?
- What did you do when no one was watching?
- How did you express joy?
- Where did you feel free, whole, completely yourself?
There are timeless treasures in those memories. Threads of who God created you to be. Sometimes we think reconnecting with God requires trying something new. But maybe it’s about remembering something…something from the beginning.
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart…” ~ Jeremiah 1:5 NIV
God knit you together in your mother’s womb. He’s been there all along…in the things you have loved…smiling over you (or chuckling over those rainbow leg warmers).
Return to What Was Always True
Here’s the truth: the things that made you feel alive then, still matter now. They weren’t silly or insignificant. They were glimpses of design – YOUR design. And that design is one of God’s favorite ways to speak.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~ Ephesians 2:10 NIV
If you’ve been feeling far from God, unsure of your direction, or disconnected from yourself…maybe it’s time to return. Not to childhood – but to the clues.
Because God is still speaking. And sometimes, He sounds a lot like the little girl you used to be.
Want to hear God more clearly in your journaling? Download the free Holy Spirit Journaling Checklist here – a simple tool to help you recognize His voice and connect more deeply in your writing.
Looking for tools to help you create your own quiet time with God? You can see the journaling supplies I use and love here.
Have a question? Drop it for me below…I’d love to hear your thoughts and will be answering questions.
