The Beauty of Human Finiteness

I’m currently reading a beautiful and stimulating book by Kelly M. Kapic on the limitations of our humanity (note, this Kelly is a man, a manly man in fact, with a beard so thick it has probably been accused of heteronormative hate crimes). The book is You're Only Human: How Your Limits Reflect God’s Design and Why That’s Good News (Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos, 2022).

As I read the opening chapter of this book, I was reminded of a quote from Star Wars Ep. II where Padme reminds Anakin, “You’re not all powerful.” To which Anakin angrily replies, “Well I should be!” To be honest, there are days when I grieve and groan as to why I’m not all-powerful. Despising my mental, physical, and mortal limitations. As someone who is addicted to exercise and achievement and has a life-time of chronic insomnia, this was a good book for me. I should not grieve that I can no longer run 5km in 5:00 mins. No, I don’t have to write 5 books a year. And yes, I need to sleep better! Furthermore, Kelly puts our limitations in Christian perspective. It is Christian to recognize that only God is infinite and we are created to be finite. We were never meant to be all-powerful.

I know there is a book out there called Homo Deus about humans becoming able to transcend their limitations through genetics and advanced technology. But I’m not sure we’ll ever transcend our limitations, be they mortal or moral, physical or psychological. Even if we could, I don’t know whether it would make us better humans. I’m sure Kelly would agree.

Kelly argues that we need “to appreciate the present, to honor our limits even as we invest and seek to grow, and to love what God has given rather than feeling angry about what is withheld or anxious about what is to come” (p. 193). His proposal for doing that is:

1. Embrace the rhythms and seasons of life.

2. Recognize vulnerability.

3. Express lament, cultivate gratitude.

4. Rest: honor sleep and sabbath.

This isn’t a time management book or a self-help book. It is more of a kind of coming to terms with how God has made you book. It means we need to come to grips with disappointment and aging. It means finding our identity in Christ rather than completing a bucket list. The Christian life is not just a matter of making the most of our time, it is about redeeming the time.

Here’s a short video by Kelly about his book which is a great teaser.