Only a few uneducated shepherds welcomed His birth that clear Christmas night. Those who were told of His coming anticipated a king who would fulfill their personal fantasies of power. This actual vulnerable child had his own fate to be lived. Unto us a child has been given. Each of our children is a unique gift with a particular fate to be lived out in this world.
Some children suffer neglect and abuse in overt ways, which result in physical and emotional damage.
Sometimes parents see a distorted mirage of the child they need or want rather than the child they are given. They attempt to fill the void in their own lives by living through their children. The child is treated as a project to be perfected rather than a vulnerable human to be cherished. Harried parents run from one lesson to another, one sports team to another in a frantic attempt to give their children advantages that will guarantee future success and happiness. Unfortunately, the rush to improve their child often results in frustrated children and burned out parents.