MY THOUGHT ABOUT THE CHILD.

In several instances, it's highly probable that familiarity may continually reduce the value we attach to people, things, places and events. If we allow ourselves to operate unconsciously, these become (and look) ordinary (ask married couples who relied on only the initial spark). The way we perceive people then affects our expectations of them, our perception of their actions and motives, their actual performance (in relation to us), and our future interactions with them. This is especially due to the fact that our mental attitudes and spiritual inclinations actually affect the questions we ask, the answers we get, and the actions we take.

Take the question of children, for example. It seems very easy to see the children we see as simply part of a mass of children in the world. It's rare that I see a child as one unique individual, with the potential to impact the world in ways I can't even begin to imagine. This is on a general level. But even when we consider specific children, their circumstances may portray them so ordinary that we don't actually pay attention to them. A child born to poor parents, or in not so well developed surroundings, a child who doesn't look exceptional to "teachers", a child who has no pedigree , a child whom I've seen grow up right from infancy, etc.

The way we look at any child (and all children) determines the actions we take (individually and corporately) for, or against, them. Do we ignore them because they don't deserve our resources (for example time, words, energy, finances)? Do we belittle them because we think we know better? Do we invest in their empowerment so they'll be better able to heal the world, or shall we settle for only the healing of a few ills? Or do we actually support the children (even inadvertently) in the formation of powerless masses? Do we reject their potential contributions because we don't believe in them, and thus tap only into a fraction of what they could offer?

May Jesus Christ grant us the grace to hold "our children" in the proper perspective, and act accordingly. May we work to actualise the potential of every child, and realise the miracles that they are.