From Limited to Limitless
Written by Rev. Dr. Scott Paczkowski
“The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps. ”
Narcissism is a dead-end street. We are called to challenge the selfishness within our hearts. Through critical reflection, we begin to grasp and embrace the truth of who we are and our small part in this world. Recognizing our minute place in the universe is counter to much of the writing provided by contemporary professional encouragers. Yet, the idea of our being the center of our universe is nothing new.
The theologian, Alister McGrath in his book, Born to Wonder, provides historical perspective when he writes, “We used to think that the world revolved around us. Then Copernicus forced us to realize that the earth does not stand at the center of the universe.” Rather than being the center of all things, we hang around the edges, on this third rock from a small sun in one of the billions of galaxies.
Even on this planet earth, we are not that special. McGrath continues, “Then Darwin came along and challenged us to realize that we are part of the animal kingdom. Humanity does not even have a unique place on the planet earth.” Then Sigmund Freud came along and challenged our ability to master our unconscious. McGrath reminds us of Freud’s teaching when he writes, “Humanity is not even the master of its own limited realm but is the prisoner of hidden unconscious forces, subtly influencing our thinking and behavior.” As a result, we are not in control of much in our lives.
Rather than rebel against the truth of our shortcomings, we need to embrace our limitations. McGrath calls us to be honest about ourselves. Once we recognize that Iris Murdock was right when she called us humans “anxiety-ridden animals,” our lives can get a proper perspective. To succeed in life, we must embrace our limitations and seek God, who can lift us beyond our shortcomings. Rather than fight or pretend, it is time to embrace our true selves and make room for God, who can expand our horizons. While we are limited, we can hitch our spiritual wagons to the Triune God, who can take us to places we humans cannot even begin to imagine.
