We All Desire to Feel Special

Everyone comes into the world feeling they have a place. This is evidenced in no surer way than when we look around and compare ourselves with others—call it human instinct. When we suddenly don’t feel special there’s a void inside that we intuitively seek to reconcile.

And the reason we feel this is because God has made us all this way—to have the desire to be appreciated. He, indeed, desires to be appreciated. We’re made in his image.

This is why our relationships—all of them, to the farthest neighbour—are important. Everyone deserves to feel special in our midst.

Those who’ve adapted to not feel this way end up harming others. I truly wonder how much mental illness, vice and abuse etc is caused by the victim or perpetrators’ not being loved and appreciated. Not that we feel sorry for people who hurt people, but at the same time it’s true, “hurt people, hurt people.” In other words, those who feel loved don’t hurt others.

As we cast an eye over all our relationships we can now attend to that one we’re neglecting or the other we’re abusing. It is not easy to make everyone feel special, but it is our duty to try.

We only need to think of the impact of feeling less-than-special has on us personally and this motivates us positively.

Creating time where we can commend people as special and appreciate them is really important. Indeed, it’s a great way of intercession where we positively input, and powerfully so, into another’s life.

Of course, we know this works by the people who’ve made us feel special.

© 2010 S. J. Wickham.