"The child is not meant to die, but to be forever fresh born." (click 'read more' for context)

"The boy should enclose and keep, as his life, the old child within him. He must still, to be a right man, be his mother's darling, and more, his father's pride, and more. The child is not meant to die, but to be forever fresh born."

A beautiful and profound line, that comes from George MacDonald (the Scottish author and poet who deeply influenced C.S. Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien). The quote is from his novel - The Princess and Curdie - It's a powerful reminder about preserving the "inner child"—not in a childish way, but in the sense of keeping alive wonder, curiosity, openness, playfulness, trust, and a sense of fresh possibility. MacDonald isn't saying we should stay immature or refuse to grow up - child-ish vs. child-like. Instead, he's suggesting that true maturity includes continually renewing and rebirthing that childlike essence within us. The "old child" (the innocent, imaginative core from our early years) shouldn't be killed off by cynicism, routine, bitterness, or the "hardening" of adulthood. Rather, it should be "reborn fresh" again and again—every day, in every season of life.

- Jesus' words: "…except you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter the kingdom of Heaven" (Matthew 9:10 RE). Not becoming naive, but reclaiming humility, wonder, and dependence on something greater.

- Modern psychology's concept of the 'inner child' —the part of us that holds joy, creativity, and emotional authenticity, which we need to nurture rather than suppress.

- The idea that growth isn't linear replacement (old self dies, new adult takes over), but a spiral: we integrate and refresh the child within us as we mature.

I love how this flips the usual narrative of "growing up means leaving childhood behind." Instead, it says the opposite: a truly whole person keeps the child alive by letting it be reborn constantly. In practice, that might look like:

- Staying curious and asking "why?" like a kid. - Allowing ourselves to play, create, or be silly without self-judgment. - Approaching life with fresh eyes, even in familiar situations. - Healing old wounds so the inner child feels safe enough to come out again. It's a gentle, hopeful invitation: don't let the world kill that spark of wonder and openness in you. Let it die to the old ways, yes—but only so it can be reborn fresh, over and over.

Renew the childlike--not the childish