Love People For Who They Are

Many of us claim to practice unconditional love, but in reality this is a far harder task to walk out. From the outside looking in it is often times easy to to make critical judgments and remarks about what people should do differently. I totally agree with mentoring, constructive criticism and loving correction. However, making someone feel bad about who they are because they do not fit the image you have for them is wrong.

This can be applied to parenting, friendships, acquaintances and especially romantic relationships. If you are in a relationship with someone and are always attempting to change them, maybe you are in the wrong relationship. If you are always speaking negatively about certain people in you peer group, maybe you are not meant to be friends. If you have raised your children to the best of your ability and they do not fit the image you had in your mind of how they would turn out, try embracing who they have become.

The bottom line is we must love people for who they are, not who we expect, need or wish they could be to us. Unconditional means I love the good, the bad and the ugly. Now I should be clear and say if loving someone unconditionally is of detriment to you, practice that love from a distance.