Humanness is Defined and Refined by Relationships to Humans

I woke up this morning considering thankfulness and the state of life being human (remembering I haven't put a slip into my thankfulness jar for last week). What to put in for last week? What if I am not experiencing something that makes me feel particularly, overwhelmingly grateful? Of course there is the obvious. Like being grateful for food, clothing and shelter. Grateful for family and friends. The last 2 weeks I have put in a slip of thankfulness for my friends already. But what if there is nothing outstanding that is stirring up "feelings" of great thankfulness? No big exciting, overwhelming experience that occurred last week? Family and friends seem to be the constant, biggest thing that I experience a sense of thankfulness for. We are, after all, social creatures. But we are also fallen creatures. Even those that love us and are closest to us will disappoint us at times, and give us cause to struggle (whether we struggle because they let us down, don't understand us, or don't meet some particular need we have, or because they just do things we don't like, etc). They are only human. They are not perfect. 

Without a means to participate in society, I lack fulfillment as a human being, because it is through human interaction that my humanness is defined and refined. As I said, we are social creatures with a deep need to relate to other human beings who can relate to us on a human level (That level defined as being a moral plane of existence).  As wonderful as pets are (dogs and cats particularly), and as much as they give US what appears to be "unconditional love", they can not replace human love. But, you might say, I love my dog and my dog loves me. What part of a human relationship can an animal not fulfill? They can not give us thoughtful input in conversation - by which we can delve into the deeper meaning of our existence, or receive guidance in life for important issues such as whom you should marry, or which job would be a good fit for your talents and life. They can not sharpen a person's ability to answer the complex issues of life. They can not join us in prayer and in hope. They can not share values. They can not appreciate or share in human creativity in areas such as art or music or relate ideas that elevate us as an individual. The animal is not a human being, and knows nothing of the weight of responsibility of what it means to be human. An animal does not provide a human with the experience of or responsibility of being a partner in shaping morality in another being, or be a partner in the creation of another human being made in our likeness.

What about answers to prayer? What if I have not lately received any big answers to my prayers that I can put on my list of something I am thankful for? Who is God anyway, that I should be dedicated to Him even if He does not seem to answer my prayers to Him in the time and manner I "need" Him to? What if lately I keep asking for guidance, and I have received no big revelation or voice making it totally clear as to what direction to go in? Why remain so dedicated to this God that can not be seen? Why not just live my life only based upon what I can see with my eyes?

So, with that, I commenced on considering what my life experience might be like without the God of the Bible to form the basis for my life's values. There was and is no need to look too far for that answer. It is all around me in the state of our society. And it is not pretty. It is driven by selfishness. I am sorry to say that. It will make people angry, I know. But it is true. The fallen state of humankind is such that the center of each person's life is self. What pleases me? Even our love is selfish. I love you because you make me happy. You meet some need I have. I like those best that share my views - which of course, reinforces my sense of my being right.

I can be thankful for people that come across my life's path that do not hold the same views I hold because that interaction brings the opportunity for me to grow as a person. I might grow stronger in my beliefs as I hold them up against the beliefs of the others person, or I might grow stronger in character because it requires strength of character to examine why I believe what I believe and admit where my thoughts and beliefs fall short. Every relationship challenges me to reduce the self-centered basis upon which my life is built. But if I reduce "self" from the center of my life, what is suitable to fill that void where self used to reign? Indeed, it is impossible for a person to reduce self-centered living without something greater to replace the self upon which our life is centered. It must be something that can be trusted in more than we trust what our eyes can see (because not all things are what they appear to be), and more sure than what we can feel (our feelings - no matter how intense - are fleeting). We need something beyond our human realm, because everything in our human realm is temporary, faulty and changeable. That something is God, the Eternal One - unchangeable and perfect.

To that end, I am thankful for God who transcends our humanness, and thankful that He has called human beings to come into a personal relationship with Himself, that He has given us the Holy Scriptures so that we can know Him, and that He provided us with the means by which we can come to be His own family. That means is the shed blood of the only begotten Son of God, Jesus, the Messiah.