Being and Becoming Human in 2025

Photo by Robert Collins on Unsplash

Every person is a heart-soul-mind-strength complex designed for love.

Andy Crouch

It’s been said that people do not remember books, but rather certain paragraphs or sentences that stand out in books. True or not, there is one sentence from a book I read this year that has caused me to think more deeply about what it means to be human.

The book I was reading is called The Life We’re Looking For by Andy Crouch. The book focuses on the human quest for flourishing amidst the distractions and traps we often get ourselves into, particularly in our current technological age.

Crouch gives special focus to the Shema, “one of the most important texts in Jewish life”, found in Deuteronomy:

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-5)

For those of us who might be unaware of how central this commandment was to Jewish life, the verses following directly after it give bring clarity:

“These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:6-8)