I am only human. I am a flawed, imperfect being that is prone to make mistakes. I do not have it completely together and I often need help to solve my problems. I am selfish and rude. I can be unkind and impatient, stubborn and thoughtless, thus unloving. I am not a bad person, just not a very good one (Romans 7:18-20). I understand the things that I need to do to make life easier and better and I fail to do them. I often do the opposite of what I feel if what I feel is the right thing to do (Romans 7:21-24). I take others for granted and do not let them know how much I appreciate them. I ask for my faults to be looked upon through a telescope, all while looking at the faults of others through a microscope. Hypocrite. Loser. Mean. Ugly. I am the worst of what people think of me. I am only human.
If being human means the antithesis of what it means to be spirit, then it is no wonder that these characteristics that I have displayed at times rise to the top of my character. All humans make mistakes and fall short of the power within them to do great things. When God breathed the breath of life into His first human being, He essentially provided Him life (Genesis 2:7). Life is not the dust of the earth by which God formed man. It is not the flesh that houses that breath of life within. It is not the sin. Life is not that which caused man to fall (Genesis 3). It is the very substance that God gave to us: our spirit. Our flesh is flawed. It is ugly and defiles, consumes, and destroys all that it encounters (Matthew 15:13-20). Being human means that you will not be able to be perfect – ever. Even when we do something that seems good, our flesh is constantly striving to undo anything that we deem worthy. We are dying. Humanity is continually embracing death.
So how can, in our human state, we reverse this course and undo the curse that has been placed on our lives? How can we welcome light and life into our being and live with kindness, respect, love, and appreciation? How can we be more worthwhile and strive to be better than our mistakes? We are only human, but thank God that He has made us more than that. Thank God that we are more than the dust of the ground of which He formed us. The breath that he placed within man is the very being that is motivated to move toward light and life. This being is the spirit inside us of that is forgiving and honest. It is loyal and gracious. It is not selfish or ugly. It is what makes us beautiful. It is what God touches each time we call on Him. It is how we love. Our spirit is what makes our imperfections perfect, because through them is how we learn and grow. We may never know how wonderful our spirit can be, until we have experienced how awful our humanity is. And although we are flawed, destructive, human, we should be thankful to God that we are more than that.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for placing Your spirit within us. Thank You that we have a power within us to defeat our humanistic ways. Thank You for all that You have done to help us overcome the mistakes we have made and the lives we have ruined. Thank You for Your redemptive quality that helps us change and be more like You. Help us, oh Lord, to continuously turn to You when our flesh has failed us and we are holding on to death. Thank You for forgiving us when we sin and supplying Your Word so that we can get back to you. In Your mighty and precious Name I pray. Amen.
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