Practicing the Presence of People: How We Learn to Love

by Mike Mason

In fact, the more we limit our friendships to those who think as we do, the more the slightest differences in thinking will threaten our unity.

Often stridently held opinions are merely a mask to protect the vulnerable person inside. This real, inner person is the one who needs befriending.

Alienation stems from always putting ourselves either higher or lower than others, never on the same level. But friends regard one another as equals.

If we fail to see the image of God in others, we are bound to see an image of our own making. We’ll see a phantom, a ghost, someone who is not really there. When we devalue others in this way, the result is that we ourselves feel cheapened and unloved.

But at some point you must face the necessity of accepting the people who are actually a part of you. Those whom God has already chosen for you, you must choose for yourself.

The church is dying for lack of love. The world is dying for lack of church. There are too many pastors who love their work more than they love people.