I understand and live fully in my place in the world

What do humans represent in this world? Some, especially at this point in history, would answer that question by saying that humans are the single most destructive force. Others would say we are the most intelligent, creative, and dominant species on earth. If you think about it, these answers are very similar. Both focus on our supreme sophistication; it's just that one sees it as a force for evil, and the other as a good or at least neutral force.

But step back from this concept of human sophistication and take a look at yourself. . . . 

Are you done?

Your self-examination likely looks as bleak to you as mine does to me. We're really not all that sophisticated. Sure, we have some intelligence and creativity, but it's wrapped in a less than attractive package. I have conflicting and often despicable thoughts and emotions, which guide my actions and desires, which are sometimes good (as far as my aspirations go) but are often the exact opposite of that, and at best more or less neutral. Now, I readily admit that others might operate at a much higher level with a much better outcome. But my strong feeling is that the majority of people fall into my category.

So then, is this the best life has to offer? As I'm writing this, I'm looking into a sunny October morning which lights up the infinite number of colors between the palest of green and darkest of browns in front of my windows. It's unspeakably beautiful and glorious.

And we are the best there is?

It seems to me that ethically, creatively, and productively, our sophistication lies in our ability to acknowledge the intricacy of the world around us and then understand that we fall short of that. In other words, both emotionally and logically it seems very, very unlikely that there is no entity more sophisticated and capable than we are—whether that being exists on our own or an entirely different plane.

It rubs wrongly against my sense of humility and reality that I—or individually or collectively any of my fellow human beings—should or could be the undisputed pinnacle of everything that exists. Clearly, humans are very capable—for good and for bad. We excel in understanding just enough about our environments to utilize them in a way that is immediately in our favor.

But we neither understand everything around us completely—certainly as far as the consequences of how we relate to our environment—nor are we able to re-create anything that comes close to it. Despite our apparent supremacy, we are clearly and significantly limited. This is true for technical capabilities as well as for judgment and ethical prowess. We understand that there are ethics—and this differentiates us from anything else on this planet—but we constantly fall short of living by those standards, both individually and as a community.

We clearly recognize greatness on a variety of levels. We know that the natural world is intricately sophisticated. We know how to utilize increasingly more components of the world around us. We recognize and celebrate beauty around us. We understand and argue that ethical living is desirable. But we are not capable of either fully adhering to those standards or re-creating any of the beauty around us. 

It's like there are kernels of all of this within us. And while these are powerful, they're unformed. They exist only in the very infant stages of what they could be. No matter how hard we try, we won't be able to fully form them or witness them being formed within us.

Here is what Christians believe: In virtually any present or historical society, God comes into play if and when that society realizes that if there is unformed there must also be formed, if there is imperfect there must also be perfect, if there is attempt there must also be achievement.

Again, Christians say that we are made in the image of God. As I mentioned earlier, this doesn't mean that we are made to look like God or exist on the same plane as God. But it means that those kernels in us—the ones we recognize but can't perfect—are fully grown, matured, and perfected in God. Christians believe that these kernels within us are an opportunity to look for the perfected counterpart—especially once we individually and collectively realize that it can't be formed or achieved within us.