Childhood Experiences

I heard a story about a woman who had a scary childhood experience. There was a very bad fire in her house when she was 9 years old, and she was badly burned. Kids at school didn’t want to talk to her because her face was scarred. After that she was very afraid of fire - barbecues, fireplaces, gasoline for the car or lawn mower and other things.

Many years later she went to a class on fighting fires (for firemen). She went into a burning house and put water on the fire. She was very, very scared to go into the burning house. But afterwards, she felt better and was not afraid of fire. It was a very hard thing to do, but afterwards she had peace in her heart.

Today, let’s talk about childhood experiences of any kind. They can be scary, happy, difficult or anything, but talk about experiences that were important for you.

Tell about one or more important childhood experiences in detail. Tell about who, what, where, when, why and how. (It might be something that happened on one day, or over many years.)

How did these experiences affect you as an older child and/or adult?

Are your ideas about politics, religion, career, values, home and family affected by some important childhood experiences? Give examples and explain in detail.

If you are or will become a parent, what kind of childhood experiences do you want for your children, or not want for your children?

“God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:28

What does this quote say about childhood experiences? How might God use our childhood experiences? What are ways that something bad might become good?