It’s probably impolite to ask a favor of you right off the bat, but let me ask you to do something. For a brief moment, consider the word “human.” What other words and phrases do you associate with it? What connotations does the word have for you? When you think of a human, what images come to mind?
The subject of many discussions I’ve been a part of over my few short years has been the inherent brokenness of humans. Sin is, as a result of the fall of man, “human nature.” We don’t often pause long enough to realize what we’re really saying when we comfort each other or ourselves with statements like “to err is human” or the sentiment expressed in Hannah Montana’s song “Nobody’s Perfect.” We excuse our failures, saying, “I’m only human!”
But where did the “only” come from? When did we start needing a qualifier? God didn’t create “only” humans. God created man in His image, and He called us very good! God doesn’t create messes, and even we cannot pervert what He has created so much that it is unrecognizable. I don’t believe God looks at His people, His precious children, and sees “only” humans. No, we’re not the way He created us to be; Adam and Eve’s sin along with the tragic fall that is now a part of every story has torn us from His perfect will and placed us squarely in the center of imperfection. But while it’s obvious that we’re a long way from whole, being human does not have to be shameful.
God created beautiful things, perfect things that would bring glory to His name as Creator. Though the separation from Him that resulted from the fall of man allowed a distortion of some of that beauty and brought sin into His previously untarnished creation, all hope has not been lost. We’re not doomed to wallow in brokenness and sin until death or the rapture brings us into His presence for eternity. We won’t see the fulfillment of His creation’s potential while sin yet remains on earth, but we’re not hopeless.
When we were separated from God by sin, He didn’t abandon us. He didn’t pack up His plans and His will and His favor and leave us to defend ourselves against the evil unleashed by our disobedience. God has made Himself available, in a way much more comforting and meaningful and crucial than any professor’s office hours, for relationship with us. in fact, more than making Himself available, He pursues us unswervingly to win us over to Himself so that we can experience life as His children.
Over the past few months, I’ve grown in appreciation for capabilities our unique human design affords us. It is true that we cannot fully appreciate goodness without understanding the alternative. Because we are small, we can always grow. Because we are broken, we can know true healing. Because we are sinful, we can experience the incredible power of God’s mercy. Because we are weak, we can know what it means to be strengthened by the Holy Spirit. Our insufficiencies enable us to better understand the significance of God’s sovereignty and forgiveness.
A passage that was instrumental in my walk with Christ a couple of years ago is found in 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (NIV):
“But He said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
There are no better words than these for the beauty brought out by juxtaposition of our helplessness with God’s faithfulness and sovereignty. As in any part of His creation, God’s redemption of what we have distorted is a beautiful expression of Who He is and how that relates to–defines, really–who we are. It is our weakness, our sinfulness, our imperfection that renders us so desperately in need of a Savior–and as we receive God’s healing and allow Him to work through our brokenness, His power is emphasized in contrast to our powerlessness. So being human isn’t an “only” kind of situation. God has designed us to be able to grow, learn, change, and develop, and He offers Himself and His guidance for that growth and change. This, I believe, is beautiful. Join me in celebrating our humanity:
“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:14, NIV)
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