Our condition

[Julie_de_Sales]

This will probably sound extremly prideful, but…
Why are we so small and insignificant in comparaison with God? Or, like Pascal said, why are we nothing in comparaison with God?
I was thinking that if I had any children, I would want them one day to become like me, or even to be better than me, in power, in intelligence, in everything. So why God made us like a sand particle in comparison to Him? I understand that Jesus is His only son by nature, that we are adoptive children, but why? If we were like God, I don’t believe this would take some of His glory away.
So, any thoughts on this idea?

 

[Dorothy]

God had no need of us, but He created us out of his perfect love, so that we can share in his life for all eternity.

He gave us his life to show us the way, and told us to pick up our cross and follow him.

We owe the Lord everything!

 

[Nom_the_Wise]

This will probably sound extremly prideful, but…
Why are we so small and insignificant in comparaison with God? Or, like Pascal said, why are we nothing in comparaison with God?
I was thinking that if I had any children, I would want them one day to become like me, or even to be better than me, in power, in intelligence, in everything. So why God made us like a sand particle in comparison to Him? I understand that Jesus is His only son by nature, that we are adoptive children, but why? If we were like God, I don’t believe this would take some of His glory away.
So, any thoughts on this idea?

God’s love for us makes us significant. Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf makes us more significant than any other creatures in the Universe. It is a very Protestant idea that we are “nothing” as per the words of Amazing Grace “that saved a wretch like me.”

We are created by God, and God said we are good in Genesis. The Catholic teaching is not that we are worthless but that by Christ’s cross and resurrection we are redeemed of original sin and so will receive eternal life if we are faithful. That doesn’t sound insignificant to me.

 

[Catholic80]

This will probably sound extremly prideful, but…
Why are we so small and insignificant in comparaison with God? Or, like Pascal said, why are we nothing in comparaison with God?
I was thinking that if I had any children, I would want them one day to become like me, or even to be better than me, in power, in intelligence, in everything. So why God made us like a sand particle in comparison to Him? I understand that Jesus is His only son by nature, that we are adoptive children, but why? If we were like God, I don’t believe this would take some of His glory away.
So, any thoughts on this idea?

Well, first we are nothing because we were nothing at one point. We didn’t exist before God created us. At the same time, He is infinite and always had us in His mind even before He created us, so in some sense, we always “existed” even if it was a thought before we were corporeal.

“Nothing” doesn’t mean not great. Some of the saints have said, if you could see a person’s soul, you would be tempted to worship them because of the beauty you would see.

We are living in a fallen world and with a fallen nature. We will eventually love as God loves, but not now. That is heaven…
But one thought occurred to me one time. God’s love is infinite, so His love is manifested even greater, not by loving something just as good as Him, but by loving something small and miserable. He loves us MORE because we are small and miserable. And in HIS love, we become great because HE is great. We are defined by His love for us. That is our greatness. That is the parents’ love for us - to be great. He makes us great. In our weakness and misery, we are great because we are loved infinitely!

This is what gives dignity and meaning to EVERY life - the unborn, the sick, the imprisoned, the sinner,… even the most hardened sinner.

So being “nothing” isn’t a curse or something we should be ashamed of. Our nothingness is our greatness because God made it so!

 

[empther]

Why are we so small and insignificant in comparaison with God? Or, like Pascal said, why are we nothing in comparaison with God?

Be grateful!

God made the angels magnificent creatures with intellects and wills far greater than ours.
The angels that rebelled had no second chance. They went straight to hell.

Gives me a chill!

On the other hand,
some people have said the angels in Heaven look down at us with wonder. How can men, weak of intellect and will as they are, as well as having the concupicience of the flesh, work out their salvation? It’s a wonder!

 

[MichaelHowling]

*What is man that you are mindful of him,b

and a son of man that you care for him?c

6Yet you have made him little less than a god,*

crowned him with glory and honor.

7You have given him rule over the works of your hands,d

put all things at his feet:

8All sheep and oxen,

even the beasts of the field,

9The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

10O LORD, our Lord,

God came to earth and took up our humanity to raise us up to the divine…it was always His plan to divinize us. In the garden…satan temps mankind to become God without God… “go against Gods command not to eat the fruit and you will be like gods!” …God gave them EVERYTHING in the garden and called them to rule it (like parents handing it over to the kids) . Made us in his “image and likeness” …we see this term later in the old testament used to describe the relationship between Adam and his first born. Then, when Christ comes …He shows us the depth of his fatherly love and affection by making us his own children and works towards divinizing us. A scripture in the new testament makes mention: "don’t you know you will be on thrones judging angels " " .

God bless