"The Peace Dividend"

"Only a human word, a human act will heal the process of human history; it isn't ideas and ideals that will do this, but some moment in history when relations are changed for good and all, when new things concretely become possible." (Tokens of Trust, pg. 83)

I had to read this quote more than a few times and really think about what is being said here. The first few times I read it I wasn’t sure what exactly to think. Initially I was a little confused because I thought it was saying basically that only a human could solve human problems. I knew that wasn’t what it was meaning but then why is it worded the way it is. I think this quote is trying to get at the point of why God sent His son to live as a human here on earth. As humans we connect best with humans. We can have a relationship with God but because we are not gods ourselves there are a lot of things we don’t fully understand. By having the Son of God in human form God was giving us a way to better understand Him. When it says “Only a human word, a human act will heal the process of human history “ I believe it is talking about how humans fell captive to sin. God sent His son as a human to save us and pay the price for the sin of our human world. When the quote says “…. some moment in history when relations are changed for good and all” I believe it is talking about the relationships that were made with God through Jesus. Jesus was sent to earth as God in human form for us to better understand His love for us. Through Jesus’ example we are also shown how to live and what our relationships with other humans should be like. The final part of this quote “…. new things concretely become possible” is seen in the life we are given after Jesus paid the final price for our sin. We are freed from the sin of our past and are given a new life in the love of God. It is also seen the endless possibilities of relationships we create with others. The relationships we create with others open up opportunities to share the love of God with people. It is a cycle that will never end. We are open to creating new relationships with others because we are living in the love of Christ. When we show God’s love to others then hopefully they are changed and do the same to others. Through God’s love and the relationships created by it, new things and opportunities possible. Christ did the human by changing relationships for the good of all yet did it as God because he did it perfectly as an example for everyone to follow.