Francis Schaeffer writes, in Escape from Reason,

"We thus know something wonderful about man. Among other things, we know his origin and who he is-- he is made in the image of God. Man is not only wonderful when he is 'born again' as a Christian, he is also wonderful as God made him in His image. Man has value because of who he was originally before the Fall.
I was recently lecturing in Santa Barbara, and was introduced to a boy who had been on drugs. He had a good-looking, sensitive face, long curly hair, sandals on his feet and was wearing blue jeans. He came to hear me lecture and said, 'This is brand new, I've never heard anything like this." So he was brought along the next afternoon, and I greeted him. He looked me in the eyes and said, 'Sir, that was a beautiful greeting. Why did you greet me like that?' I said, 'Because I know who you are-- I know you are made in the image of God.' We then had a tremendous conversation. We cannot deal with people like human beings, we cannot deal with the on the high level of true humanity, unless we really know their origin-- who they are. God tells man who he is. God tells us that He created man in his image. So man is something beautiful."

I copy all of this a a precursor to discuss what God has been subtly pointing out to me in a way I don't think I have ever really been ready to receive until now. I see this in friends lives as a definitive hindrance to their everyday relationships. I see this most greatly in my own life. The issue of truly loving others is one which is mentioned but never truly given the focus and attention it needs. Jesus called this the second greatest commandment, but any shallow inquiry into most lives reveals that we do not take this calling seriously enough. We need make consistent choices to serve Christ first with our lives. This takes things like being committed to God's word, living with it in our lives and as our thinking point. It also takes a commitment to higher integrity and standards than we currently have. They should always be growing. But, our second greatest focus in life should be on treating people right. It is strange that we can go to a Christan school and hear about reaching the world and the church, but have issues we have no intention of correcting with one another.
My life has been continually plagued by issues in relation to others. And here's the thing, I (along with so many others) have a heart for people. I love missions, my heart cries for the lost I meet. But I think harsh thought toward people I find incompetent. I think down on the people to whom I am closest. I haven't been willing to accept it for along time. I didn't know the extent of the problem, but I knew it was there and it honestly seemed so big to tackle that I figured the effort was a worthless waste of time. But it has to change to live a life honoring God. We all struggle with this in some capacity. The ex-boyfriend who we mock with our friends. The neo-conservatives or liberal theologians we joke about in class. The fallen pastors, politicians, and celebrities we whisper about and use as conversation starts with strangers. All of this is a destruction of the beauty of God within humanity. We are still in his image, and we cannot hope to be continually pulling in closer to Him with our lives if we are making constant effort to defame humanity. Regardless of my situation, I need to learn to consider others about my self, not to simply put it on my list of things to do, pray on it, and watch for the 'beautiful transformation' that will never occur, but to be making conscious, concerted efforts to think of all others more highly than myself, and value them in the way I treat them.