“I do indeed, Sir,” said Caspian. “I was wishing that I came from a more honorable lineage.”

“You come of the Lord Adam and the Lady Eve,” said Aslan. “And that is both honor enough to erect the head of the poorest beggar, and shame enough to bow the shoulders of the greatest emperor on earth. Be content.”

Caspian bowed.

C.S. Lewis, Prince Caspian, 232-233.

Humans are glorious wretches. This is because we are both created in the image of God and fallen, rebellious sinners. Lewis deftly captures both in this amazing quote. I find it tremendously liberating to be able to be honest about this. No matter how good someone may be–or seem to be–they have a long way to go. Conversely, even the most wretched person you know has inherent dignity as an image-bearer. There are no lost causes or hopeless cases. Therefore, the “least of these” still need to be treated as human.

Glorious wretches. Let’s be honest about this–and see humility, kindness, empathy, service, compassion, generosity, and forgiveness flow in our families, churches, workplaces, and neighborhoods.