You’re Only Human (A Short Book Review)

I’m not sure I’m comfortable with being human. Why? Because it seems so…well…so limiting. There’s got to be more , right? Yet in my search to be more I never seem to be satisfied. Can’t get off the merry-go-round of never feeling enough no matter how much “success” comes my way. So Kelly Kapic has done me (and all of humanity) a great service by reminding us that it’s not only okay to be human, but it’s who God made us to be. Therefore, he encourages us not to run from being human, but to embrace it.

Kapic writes that realizing who we are as human beings, and all of the limits that entails, is really good news. This is quite counterintuitive to Western thought, but the reality is that unless we rest in our identity found in being made in the image of God along with our relationships to others, we will become more like a machine of seeking endless productivity and efficiency. And the danger is that we will treat others as the same, that is, mere cogs in a  dehumanized system. 

Two thoughts really stand out in You’re Only Human for me. First concerns the question of “Why doesn’t God just instantly change me?” I’m sure he’s able, so why doesn’t he? Kapic asks, “Might it be true that, although he clearly does not enjoy our sin, God values the process of our growth and the work involved in it, and not just the final product?” (p. 145) If such is the case, then I must embrace the journey. And I must also be patient with the journey of others as well. 

Second, it can be easy to fall prey to the “change the world” mantra being heralded by many writers, pastors, etc…. It’s not that we as Christ followers are not to be “salt” and “light,” but to be that for the whole world? As one human? I am limited. I can only do so much. However, as Kapic points out, when we connect with others  and their gifts and resources, then we as the church, both locally and globally, impact the world. We need each other. “No individual is to carry the weight of the world,” writes Kapic. (p. 179).

Could write much more, but hopefully I’ve whetted your appetite to pick up your own copy of You’re Only Human. I think you will be glad that you did! Happy reading!