Our nature...

I grew up in a Christian community. And so I grew up hearing that humans were born with a sinful nature. As in, we are apt to do wrong from the moment we enter this world to the moment we leave it.

I do not know how I feel about this belief anymore.

I think that perhaps I am questioning this worldview of mine because I am constantly experiencing the other end of human behavior. What I mean by that is that I am a part of a ministry that can only be a ministry through the goodness of others.

And there are lots of others. The work being done in Mathare pulls in over 700 visitors a year and there are over 4,500 children receiving an education through child sponsorship. That speaks of human generosity.

Not even everyone involved in this astounding work is a believer in Jesus. We have humanitarian grant groups and other people joining into our efforts to change the face of Kenya.

Humanitarian work alone makes me wonder about human nature. Because honestly, there are causes everywhere I turn which are changing the world, arguably for the better. Whether it is through TOMS shoes or Orphanage Outreach, good is being done.

And it is not always being done through the hands of those who know Jesus. Unbelieving hands are even doing more sometimes.

I guess that makes me think that people want to do good, like deep down there is something universally rewarding in doing good. And by doing good, specifically I mean by helping others.

I think the rewards or the motivations to help others differ across the board. For some, lending a hand is a human responsibility. For others, it is a paycheck. For me, it is a defining point of my faith.

But still, helping is admirable.

And I think the truth is that most people like doing it until they have a bad experience. Once helping someone backfires or once it personally costs an individual something that is when most people bow out. They think, “Well, I am never doing that again…”

I myself have experienced this.

When I went to school in Atlanta, there was a local ministry that did a lot of work on the worst street in the city. One thing that they did was a feeding program, which involved serving dinner at two different locations each evening. During my first year at ACC, I tried to get down there every Wednesday to help out with the feeding program.

So here we are, setting up tables, setting out food, when the people start showing up. I noticed that we usually saw the same faces every time. I am not sure if they came everyday or not.

Regardless though, we would set up the food, start serving. And then probably at least seven times out of ten, someone would complain. They would complain about being served lasagna again. Or they would tell you that you are a lousy rice scooper. Or some people would even say something personal about you.

Let me be honest. When these things would happen, I would be raging inside. My impulse would be to flip the tables over and start yelling. What I perceived as ingratitude or whatever you want to call it would make me want to say, “Well, I am never doing that again…”

So I truthfully think that is how it is with most people. We like helping until it hurts or the experience is negative and then we want to wash our hands of it.

And I get that. I had to make myself continue helping in Atlanta, regardless of what happened each week. Some days I have to make myself continue helping here.

But back to the sinful nature thing. I do not think we are born sinful, always choosing the wrong. Instead I am coming to think that there is something deep in the human heart that silently rejoices when we do something right.

I think that is why no one ever looks at an area with high rape statistics and says, “Well I really appreciate that side of town. Great things are happening there.” But it is why people watch “Extreme Home Makeover” and feel a sense of awe and wonder and just like that, they want to be a part of something good and bigger than themselves.

I think we are born selfish. Instead of calling it a sinful nature, I think there is a selfish nature in us from the start. I think that is what makes two year old children cling to their toys and forty year old men rob stores because they want that thing.

I think selfishness is the thing in us that tries to sideline our lives and veer us off course, especially from Jesus. Selfishness is what turns everything into a story in which I am the main character and everyone else was cast with no lines and no attention.

I am going to battle my whole life to put that selfish way in me to death. Everyone will. The motivation for me to do so is Jesus. For others, they have not discovered any reason to discard selfishness yet.

But despite that nature, it is marvelous to watch the will to do good still showing its face in the world. Because I think stronger than selfishness, there is an innate sense in the human spirit that we were made to bring beauty into our world.

And helping others is part of that beauty.

So when I see it happening, I think that perhaps we are not apt to do wrong, but made to do right from the moment we enter this world to the moment we leave it.

It is our nature.