Once again, Jesus is inviting us to more. It is not enough that we only behave in a certain way. Instead, Jesus wants our hearts to be in the right place.
Desires and attractions are beautiful gifts from God. They are a profound call to love, generosity, commitment and joy. However, they are only sometimes controllable. They can
sometimes be very confusing. We may not choose our attractions, but we choose how we respond to them.
We have to go
deeper than our desires, though. We must ask ourselves how we think of others: as objects of gratification or how they may benefit us? Of course, we all do this from time to time. Yet, Jesus sees every person as a beloved child of God. He sees the beauty and dignity of each person.
No matter how we feel towards someone or our desires or attractions regarding another person, we must never forget who they are in God’s eyes. We need to learn to see the person's fullness, leading to greater joy in our relationships. We move from using and objectifying to
love. We move from self-centredness to generosity, from fear to freedom, from boredom to creativity, and from uncertainty to commitment.
When we see a person in their fullness, we see their hopes and dreams, sorrows and fears. We see their belovedness and realise how we share these things. God becomes visible in our relationships. To see another person fully becomes a moment of contemplation.
Reflect on your desires and attractions regarding other people today. Can you recognise when you objectify people? Can you identify when you see the person in their fullness? Where is God in your relationships?
