How do you like to be treated?

A quote that’s been attributed to both Goethe and Emerson:

“Treat a man as he is and he will remain as he is. Treat a man as he could be, and he will become what he should be.”

I was given this following poem while going through the process of supporting a friend through a difficult time in life.

"Oh the comfort of feeling safe with a person,
Having neither to wave words nor measure thoughts,
But pour them all out, just as they are,
Chaff and grain together – knowing that a faithful hand
Will take and sift them,
Keep what is worth keeping,
and then – With a breath of kindness – Blow the rest away."

I believe that accepting someone just as they are is the first step and one of the key ways to connecting with them.
Yet treat them as someone with a purpose.
This will empower them to make the choices that will change them into the Godly image in which they were created.

So, the quote could read,

"Treat a man as the image of God, and he will become the image of God."