Endearing

Meet my Mom, Dad, and oldest brother.  Oh to be this chic. This wasn't for a night out - it was dinner at home.  Holy cow they are a good looking couple.  I have a stack of pictures of my parents looking like models for LIFE magazine.  The only thing this picture has to do with the rest of the post is that I find it endearing. Most of all, I find my brother endearing in this photo.  Isn't he the cutest, little clueless one?  I love that he has one hand in his pocket. 

I started to think this morning about what I find endearing.  My mind wandered to a few budding friendships and what I find endearing in those friendships.  It struck me that the very things others may try to avoid doing or may find cringe-worthy are the very things that I hold dear. I never find someone more attractive than when I see him/her as they really are -- goofey, struggling, insecure, posturing, uncertain, or awkward, yet still pushing through those things to connect with me.  When I see people as they truly are, I want to lavish my affection on them.

I once had a pastor friend say, "If you knew me like I knew me, you wouldn't want to look me in the face. But if I knew you like you know you, you wouldn't want me to look you in the face."  I agree with this on a performance level.  However, what if I really knew you like you knew you and I looked you in the face and loved you?  What if you did the same for me?  Powerful, right? Endearing? Certainly.