100% Human. And Then Some.

“In the world of literature, Christianity is no longer respectable. When I am referred to in an article or a review as a “practicing Christian” it is seldom meant as a compliment, at least not in the secular press. It is perfectly all right, according to literary critics, to be Jewish or Buddhist, or Sufi or a pre-Christian druid. It is not all aright to be a Christian. And if we ask why, the answer is a sad one; Christians have given Christianity a bad name. They have let their lights flicker and grow dim. They have confused piosity with piety, smugness with joy. 

“. . . as Christians we are meant to be not less human than other people but more human, just as Jesus of Nazareth was more human.” Madeleine L’Engle, Walking on Water

“More human”. . . how can I be more human than I am? Is that even possible? Well, I know it’s possible to be less human, as in: inhuman, or even inhumane. But more human?

What might that look like? 

It may be easier to start with the opposite. As Christians, I don’t know that we easily recognize the dichotomy that we live, but society does, and they’re quick to point it out. We can either act so similar to the world that we practically wear a badge with: “Hello my name is Hypocrite,” or we run so far from the world we become self-righteous bores.

The waitstaff at restaurants overhear Christians say things about God’s blessings and yet notice we’re the worst tippers. Others hear Christians tout “Jesus loves you,” but watch as we look the other way when someone’s lifestyle makes us uncomfortable. The world watches us gossip, divorce our spouses, carry out our road rage (with our Ichthus-fish bumper-sticker), and complain about life. Then again, maybe we prefer pulling so far away from the masses that we have no effect on it besides looking like tight-lipped, starchy, Bible-thumpers.

But are these things—these sins—causing us to live in a “less” than human way? Aren’t we doing just what everyone else around us is doing?  Seems that ought to make us just as human as the next guy—whether we’re like other cookie-cutter Christians or the devil-may-care citizens. Funny how even the world around us knows enough about this “God stuff” that they have certain expectations about our behavior. These assumptions may be unrealistic and based on misunderstandings of scripture, but there’s a general sense that the “Jesus Freaks” of society ought to be different in some way.

Therein lies the rub: we know we aren’t so different and, instead of prayerfully examining our life, we shrug our shoulders and slap on a sappy idiom like, “Christians aren’t perfect—just forgiven!” Well, true, true, but it would be more accurate to live out the reality that, although Christians aren’t perfect (and yes, we are forgiven!), we are also: NEW.

And that little three letter word is key, I believe, to becoming more human.

That brings us around to living life in a more human way . . . a Jesus sort of way. This doesn’t mean we won’t experience road rage or catch ourselves being a gossip, it means we repent when we do, we don’t excuse our behavior and, hopefully, we allow the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit to come in and truly live through us, changing our habits and renewing our mind.

Only by God’s grace can we learn to love the ‘least of these’ with passion and humility. Only through His eyes can we find reasons to be thankful when everyone else is complaining. He will teach us to bless those that curse us and reach out to the hurting and discarded. He will cause us to fight for our marriage and not become another statistic.

 

So, what does this mini-sermon (that I am preaching to myself in a big way) have to do with writing?

First of all, we can’t write what we don’t know. If we aren’t living as new creations, properly bearing the image of our Creator, and learning to “seize the day” like Jesus did, our stories will lack purpose and passion. Now, as a person that avoids conflict like the plague and prefers to follow rules, just to be safe, I struggle bringing a rebel to life on the page.

However, writers are instinctive people watchers. If we are living to serve others and to make a difference in this world by being light and salt, we will put ourselves in the path of many types of people. This doesn’t mean we should go to dangerous places and live on the edge in regards to the law. In fact, you don’t have to go further than the local coffee bar to meet people in many different cross-sections of life. Relationships with people you wouldn’t necessarily want to babysit your kids are a good thing. How will they hear if we don’t tell them? How can our stories resound with real people, that have real problems, and provide realistic consequences and profound answers, if we don’t know what that really looks like?

The quote I used this week from ML’E is complex. I literally wrestled through my thoughts about what she said and how it relates to me as I wrote this post. I know the world thinks Christians are crazy. I’m okay with that, as long as they think I’m crazy for the right reasons. Jesus said the world hated Him and it will hate us . . . well then, they can be hatin’ and I should be praisin’ 🙂 But if they disdain me because I’m either insipid or sanctimonious, then I’m missing the mark as a Christian. I’m not being more human, I’m being less.

I want to be more, and I want my writing to echo that as well!

I’ll be honest, these principles are something I am struggling to learn. As an introvert, I’m fine with me, myself, and I (and a cup of coffee). By God’s grace I’m learning to find ways to pull out of my comfort zone and be accessible to others.

How about you? What experiences have you had, or will you focus on, in order to get your feet a little muddy? How do those things translate into your writing?