Healing Rays of Righteousness

Human dignity has become a disposable commodity these days, and is under threat of extinction as we rush toward a culture of selfish individualism and gratification.  When it comes to affirming and protecting the dignity of others, our society is strong in vocal advocating for same, but extremely weak in practice.  Increasingly, more and more people find it easy and acceptable to cruelly “trash” those we don’t like or who disagree with us.

Our political campaigns and disputes have deteriorated into sickening trash talking about opponents, and are no longer a way to learn truthful facts about a person’s life and beliefs.  Unfortunately, this childish and prejudiced name-calling has become the character of our American culture, and encouraged by our top government leaders.  Shame, shame, shame!

What is the origin of our human dignity and why does it demand our respect?  In the biblical record of Jeremiah, God is about to send Jeremiah as a prophet into a culture that had lost all reverence for human life.  They were corrupting themselves with the most flagrant disregard for human dignity.  To encourage and commission Jeremiah as his prophet, God says to him, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”  (Jeremiah 1:5)

“I formed you in the womb” – Our earthbound little minds imagine conception as only a biological event.  Yet this verse forces us to think again about the origin and dignity of human life.  If God, as sovereign Creator, is present in the process of human conception, then the value of human life takes on the highest expectations of eternal relationship with God.

I think that the extent and weight of our glory as humans comes through these words to Jeremiah.  We are truly greater and infinitely more than just biological children of humankind.

The Psalmist knows this to be true and praises God, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13-14).

But, there is more.  Listen carefully to what God said to Jeremiah. “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart.”  I hear God saying that our conception and birth is not our real beginning, nor will our death be the end.

Wow!  What a mind-boggling thought for us to ponder.  Before the day and moment of your conception, God knew you.  God dignified you by calling you into existence.  God names you in his mind and dignifies you with purpose and plan.

This is so amazing.  Let this thought infuse you with dignity.  Before your mother lovingly cradled you in her arms, God wrapped his greater arms around you and held you fast in a purpose designed especially for you.

The psalmist continues in verses 16-17, “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  How precious to me are your thoughts, God!  How vast is the sum of them!”  And so, whether you choose to believe it or not,  God dignified your personhood before your first heartbeat and continues to dignify you forever.

But this is the reality kicker.  What God did in bringing you into existence, he did for every human being on this earth.  I repeat – What God did in bringing you into existence, he did for every human being on this earth.  We must let this truth permeate our whole being, and even into the deepest recesses of mind and heart.

Because, if we do not keep this perspective of human dignity before us, it becomes easy to debate and decide about others on the basis of their usefulness to us, and whether we like them or not.

Yes, it is true that many people do not live up to the dignity God instilled in them at their birth.  Many do not live up to God’s purpose and plan, nor even to their potential.  There are many reasons for such failure, but probably the most sad is when the cause is because the person did not receive the affirmation, dignity and respect needed to experience wholesome personhood.

In my many years of experience as pastor and chaplain, I have discovered that there are many, many individuals in our communities, churches, and workplaces, who struggle with low self-esteem and suffer a starving sense of worthlessness and of little value in their world.

It has also been my joy to see the lives of many of these same persons being transformed as we worked at creating a healing environment that dignified their personhood and treated them with respect as uniquely gifted persons of great worth.  Every human being needs to have their personhood dignified and respected in order to experience abundant living.

And, I am convinced that our communities, nation, and world can be transformed in like manner if we all could agree to reclaim God’s gifting of human dignity; and individually commit ourselves to dignifying the personhood of all others regardless of their race, religion, politic, or nationality – even as our creator God does.  May God help us in doing so!

“Healing Rays of Righteousness” – October 10, 2018