Lovely Lima?

View of Peru’s capital city along the coast.

Lima, Peru, really is a beautiful city. Beaches, Skyscrapers, well-manicured parks, and you absolutely cannot beat the views of the ocean from atop the cliff. The weather's great too: in the Summer the highs average in the mid-80s, and in the Winter, the lows average in the high-50s. It's often said that Lima is the gastronomical capital of the Americas due to the amazing cuisine (lomo saltado, anyone?).

But that’s being a bit optimistic...

Lima, Peru, is also a dirty, cloudy, crowded city. The drivers are just about the worst in the world, and the weather’s really not that great. 74° sounds nice until you factor in the 90% humidity (I can already tell that I’ll probably be taking more than one shower daily). Like any major city, the crime rate is pretty high. And like most developing cities, you probably shouldn’t flush your toilet paper. And the views? Well, they’re great if your looking at the city from the ocean, but if you’re looking out of our window, it’s not as nice.

View of Peru’s capital city from our home.

All of this makes me come to a realization: we’re just like Lima. We are beautiful; made in the image of the God of the universe. We can be kind, compassionate, and loving. We sacrifice our time and our energies to help those in need, and we strive to better ourselves in whatever ways that we can.

But that, too, is being a bit optimistic...

We’re hateful, sinful, ugly people. We gossip, lie, cheat, steal and murder. We have tossed aside the Imago Dei and replaced it with self-service and greed. The Bible tells us that at our very best what we offer to God is like dirty laundry.

There is good news, though. When God looks upon those who have been redeemed through faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ, he doesn’t see our sinfulness, but Christ’s righteousness. This is the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, and it’s why we’re here.

Peruvians need to hear this. The need to hear it just as much as I needed to hear it.