Dear reader! If you noticed the words on the homepage of my blog, you will have encountered a rather startling admission: I have begun to feel ashamed of being human. This post is an attempt to explore the mystery of the honor and shame of being human, at least as far as I am able.
I will turn to the Bible for help:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
what is mankind that you are mindful of them,
human beings that you care for them?
You have made them a little lower than God
and crowned them with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:3–5)
What a powerful passage! Its author grasped something that should be understandable to people today as well. He notices the majestic vastness of the universe. And indeed, modern astronomy very much agrees with him.
The observable universe is about 94 billion light-years across and about 13.8 billion years old. It contains an immeasurable multitude of celestial bodies of every kind and an unimaginable number of mysteries. Among the greatest and best known are, of course, dark matter and dark energy. Then there is the mystery of life, and much more besides.
And then there is the human being against this backdrop. Not much more than two meters tall… And God thinks of this creature. He has given this being creativity, reason, will, emotions, the ability to choose, and responsibility.
It is humbling and uplifting at the same time.
And humanity has achieved no small amount. Science, culture, and technology have undergone astonishing development. Religions contain great truths that help make the world a better place, and in them we can see humanity’s beautiful striving toward the divine.
Yes, this could be a eulogy to humanity.
But unfortunately, things are not so simple.
How, then, should we regard the evil with which we human beings destroy one another and what we ourselves have created? We trample underfoot what we ourselves teach one another and build. We seem capable of making wise decisions and right choices. But what do we actually do?
We have lived through two world wars, whose consequences will horrify us forever. Now we stand on the threshold of a third, one that threatens to flush everything beautiful in history down the toilet. It is horrifying to watch how readily we become accustomed to evil instead of defending what is good.
And surely we can agree that the same description can quite often be applied to what happens in people’s personal lives and relationships.
But let us leave this negative characterization aside for now. Let us simply remember God’s question: “Why will you die?” (Ezekiel 18:31). This is why I have begun to feel ashamed of being human. The falsehood and evil we commit every day are simply so foolish and so base.
But which should prevail? Should I feel honored that I am a human being created by God, or ashamed because I am nevertheless one of those who every day trample their high calling into the mud?
There is reason for both.
But even more importantly, we must ask about the solution.
The solution is found in a very simple verse of the Bible: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)
This is the gospel, the good news. God has forgiven us for our foolish and base behavior so that death may be overcome. What is needed is to believe this message – that is, to trust the one who brings it, Jesus.
Then, in God’s own power and Spirit, we can set out on a genuine path of repentance so that our lives may be changed. And then we can also transform this world beyond recognition into a better place.
Grace and peace!