Object Permanence

-
Have you ever played Peek a Boo with a child? What makes the child so excited to see your face? What makes the child sad when the face is hidden? 

This is a concept called Lack of Object Permanence. Meaning, a child thinks that the object that is hidden, is gone for ever and when the object is shown to the child again, it gets excited. 
In other words, 'Out of sight = Out of mind'.. Object Permanence completely develops by around 1 year. By this age, they know that the object continues to exist eventhough it is hidden and so when we try playing Peek a boo with toddlers, they get bored. They know you are there even though you hide your face. 

Object Permanence is an important milestone.  When a child doesn't attain this, it leads to anxiety and forgetfulness. 

I guess, this concept holds good for our spiritual lives as well. There was a time when we were spiritually infants.. we clapped, got excited and were overwhelmed with the goodness of God in our lives and when God seemed silent, we cried. 

But as we mature, we have to attain the spiritual milestone of 'Object Permanence through Faith'. Meaning, trusting that God is for us even though we cannot see.

That's what faith is as Hebrews 11:1 says "
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭11:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬
Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see." 

Just because things don't seem to be going our way doesn't mean He doesn't care. When everything seems still, it doesn't mean He is not working. 

May God give us faith like a toddler and be assured that He is, was and will be for us eventhough our circumstances might seem contrary. 

"For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley
When things go wrong, He'll make them right 
And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times
The God of the day is still God in the night"

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mirror, mirror on the wall!!

-
Image
  Few days ago, while doing a developmental assessment, I asked a mother, if her child recognizes himself in a mirror, she said "No". This set in a series of thoughts which I'm going to share now.  From infancy to adulthood, how we perceive ourselves in a mirror evolves. An infant’s first encounter with a mirror is a moment of wonder. At this stage, the baby sees a reflection but does not know it is their own image. This innocence and lack of self-awareness are natural and expected. As the child grows, they begin to engage with the mirror, patting it or trying to interact with the image they see. This stage represents a budding curiosity and a partial understanding of self. As children grow much older, they tend to realize that it is in fact their image that they are seeing in the mirror. As we grow much older, the mirror takes on a new role. No longer a source of fascination, it becomes a tool for self-evaluation. We look at our reflections, identifying flaws and making ...
Read more

Grasp reflex - Lesson from a Neonate

-
Image
Giving in to the urge to play with a newborn, I placed my index finger in the palm of the baby. Soon she grasped and clung to my finger. She wouldn't let go. This led me to think, creating ripples in my thoughts. A grasp reflex in neonates is caused when pressure is applied to the palm of a newborn, producing traction on the fingers' tendons, thus leading to a firm grip. As the baby grows, yielding to the inhibitions of the brain, this reflex disappears. This physiology of the reflex made me realize how closely this is related to my relationship with God.  That first encounter with Him when His firm yet tender pressure of His Love made me cling to Him!! Those first days when all I could think of was God alone!! How His love was imprinted on my heart and mind!!!  As I looked at the baby's hand still clinging to my finger, I started to wonder, do I still cling to His hand like I used to when I was a neonate in Him?!! Did I yield to the inhibitions of my rational mind and loos...
Read more