05/21/2026
Who among us does not long to be fully seen and still loved — for all the good and particular gifts we have been blessed with, in addition to our struggles?
When neurological differences in a person who has Tourette's Syndrome and other neurodivergent conditions impact motor impulses and speech control, behaviors, vocalizations, and words can cause those around them to misunderstand such expressions as moral failures.
It is important to understand that not everyone has the same mental filtering mechanisms that typical neurology provides.
Though not every person with Tourette's Syndrome experiences vocal tics or impulsive speech-related symptoms, for those who do, we might consider the following analogy: Imagine if those around us could hear all of our internal thoughts -- many of which are fleeting and not even from our hearts’ source. How difficult, embarrassing, and stressful encounters with others might be.
God's love is the only completely embracing love that sees the inner heart, fully understands the biological/physical composition of each of our bodies, is aware of our internal and external pressures and influences, our life histories, and remains steadfast and unwavering.
And though we fall short of such an unconditional love, we are called to emulate it, to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And, Love your neighbor as yourself." These are the greatest commandments, according to Jesus. (Matt 22:37-39)
How can we grow into such a godly and embracing love when we encounter people's behavior or words that trigger fearful or judgmental reactions in us? How can we treat one another with dignity so that our interactions remind our neighbor of the innate dignity that we have all been endowed with by God?
Loving as God loves is the goal of the Christian life! And cultivating such a love is an arduous lifetime endeavor.
Beginning to love as God loves requires both a decision and a prayer: to love and see ourselves and others as God loves and sees us all.
Loving as God loves increases when we choose to treat our neighbor and ourselves -- every person we encounter -- with respect, when we offer a calm demeanor in the face of expressions which may be foreign to our understanding and which may produce uncomfortable feelings within us, when we refrain from adding to someone's feelings of shame or embarrassment.
Loving as God loves blossoms when we offer a sincere and steadfast invitation for connection to our neighbor, when we listen to and employ their requests for accommodations to the best of our abilities, and when our hearts become aflame with the truth of Christ, such that our interactions are born from the belief in the inherent dignity each person possesses.
God, through us, then reminds our neighbor of their belovedness. We, through God, then embody the dignity that comes from being fully seen and still loved.
