Only Human: Me + Guests

A little while ago, I heard the phrase "I'm only human" in the context that it is ok to make mistakes, it's ok to fall short, to care too much, to mess up often, etc. That same day, I reread a blog post by a non-Christian called "I'm Christian, Unless..." and it set it up in a polite but still hurtful response to his Christian neighbors and how sinful they are.



So, I reached out to 2 of my guest blogging friends, who were happy to share their perspective. First:


To start with the given, our church, and Christianity in general, has high standards that believers don't live up to. But from what I understand the good news of the gospel isn't really the law. Yes, there is a lot of good there that we need, but the real good news is that through Christ we can be saved even after we break the law - because it is a matter of fact that we will make mistakes. Saying "he's only human" or "I'm only human" can be used as a cop-out when there really is no good excuse for whatever was done, but the thing is, it's true. We are only human. The only person who could perfectly uphold our standards in this life was Jesus Christ, and he was half god.

I also think of something one of my seminary teachers once mentioned. We are told that we came to earth to be tested. Now for most of us, when we think of being tested we think of school tests with right and wrong answers and a grade at the end to tell us just how prepared we were. But when new technology is being tested, it isn't just to be graded. They test to find out where the problems are and what needs to be improved, and then changes are made. And maybe that's a better way to look at our life. We aren't expected to be perfect just now; we are expected to become perfect.

And the second is:


Only Human...

I choose not to blame God for the mistakes of man. 

When it comes to human frailties, it helps to remember that forgiveness comes through Jesus Christ. As we look to Him, we can hope to be forgiven of our shortcomings as well as find the strength to forgive others for theirs.

We all make mistakes - we all fall short - and we all need the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We struggle and we mess up. We are all learning as we go. We are all novices at how to act in this human experience and we all fall short of the glory of God. Yes, as Christians we preach a higher law. We expect a lot out of ourselves and those we love, and sometimes - even often - we forget that others are just as inexperienced and fall short because we don't see their whole story. We judge ourselves based on our efforts and others on their outcomes. It's not fair and I am working on changing that at least in my heart, but it will take time. And a lot of repenting and forgiving, and of course remembering. And I would ask you to do the same.

As President Uchtdorf said, "Don't judge me for sinning differently than you."