“Never love anyone who treats you like you’re ordinary.” ~ Oscar Wilde
Perhaps we should write a corollary to the above maxim as well: Treat all people as if they were extraordinary. From the very first moment of our conception, we were created in the image and likeness of God. You cannot get much more extraordinary than that.
God reminds us that we were created extraordinary in His love for us, a love that is so strong that He would send His Son to save us. A love that is so strong that His Son would go to the cross to die for us in order to rise on the third day, destroying death and restoring life. A love that sustains us throughout our days here on earth and waits for the moment we can be reunited with Him again in eternity.
We need to be able to see how special we are so that we can respond to God in kind. As He loves us, we are called to love ourselves and one another. We should never treat anyone as ordinary, run-of-the-mill kinds of people. We should look for the Lord inside others and love them accordingly.
Nowadays, the word “love” has taken on way too many connotations. Most versions of love are self-serving. People often love for a reason. They love with strings attached. They love to get something out of it. They love in order to control. These things are not true love. They are an aberration of love.
True love is extraordinary in and of itself. True love is selfless. True love is free. True love is unconditional. True love can set another person free even as it validates the one loving. As we are called to love God with all our heart, all our soul, all our strength, and all our mind, God also calls us to love one another. Find the God inside others and love them with every ounce of your being.
FAITH ACTION: Treat all people you meet today as if they are extraordinary and treat yourself that way as well.