“No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not yet achieved it, but I focus on this one thing; Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.”
- Philippians 3:13
Glorification… It has happened in Christ but is still not for us. It is something that is yet to come, or “Not Yet.” And yet, Paul looks forward and presses on in pursuit of it, the prize he wants to obtain. It seems so far away, a state of perfection and tranquility, where peace and goodness abound.
Our present circumstances tend to clutter up how we hold on to hope and what is still to come for those who truly follow Christ. We look around and see all that is awful going on. News headlines speak of turmoil and division every day. After all, why look for any bit of hope when all you see is darkness?
What if hope is not so much of a silver lining in the clouds? Now hear this out, why do we try to find hope by looking around during a storm? At some point the wind, the rain, and the lightning are going to blind you and drive you to think there is no hope. The end of the storm will not be a silver lining in the clouds that break forth into blue and calm skies. Hope is not as present as a break in the clouds, rather hope is placed in something that is yet to come, the second coming of Christ and the Renewal of all creation. We cannot see it yet, but we can imagine it.
Imagining Glory:
So, when you look all around you, we see Covid-19 spiking again in many states. Many routes are occurring all around the world in various counties in a fight for freedom and civil rights. Politics seem to impact our actions more than our own wills. Tragic events keep on occurring with in households. Largely it feels like the world is void of goodness.
Yet, at the same time, goodness is sprinkled all around with how God is at work pruning hearts and turning people toward himself. That despite the hopelessness, many have continued on to say their vows and get married to the love of their life. Friends reach out to one another to check in on how each other are doing. Families gather online or in person and celebrate additions to the family and enjoy quality time.
All of this still falls short in comparison to what is yet to come.
Imagine this, everything is dark. Like pitch black, no stars in the sky, not even the faintest appearance of a shadow or silhouette because it is that dark. But suddenly, what feels like dirt or ash begins moving from around you, light starts to peak through, and you feel a warm and radiant breeze. You look around and see hundreds, no, thousands, still no, millions of other people emerging from the same darkness. You look at your hands, and they’re different. The scars from when you cut your fingers are gone, and your fingernails are finely trimmed. Your move your arms and the soreness that perpetually exist in your shoulders is gone. There is relief, there is joy! You move your legs up and down faster than ever. What could possibly be going on? Then you see the source of the light, at the center of all the people. It is not the sun nor the moon. At the source, there is a throne. On the throne is seated someone you have never seen before but instantly know who it is. At the center is Christ.
I do not know how you imagine the first moments in Glory, but that’s what I picture. One moment, there is nothing, it is just chaos, but then the next moment we are all overwhelmed by the glorious presence of Christ, the Lamb, the King, the Savior.
Hope:
What if we placed our hope now in what is yet to come? What if we placed our hope in the Glorification of humanity at the return of Christ and Renewal of the Earth to God?
I think our priorities in life would shift. We would find our solutions in what is eternal rather than was is temporal. I think even the hardest of tribulations would not be able to shake a steadfast Christian.
Our entire worldview would change.
Though we cannot obtain glorification now, and Christian perfection seems nearly impossible to live, there is hope in what is yet to come. We must not look to our politicians to bring good change to our nation. We cannot look to celebrities to always be perfect or good all the time. We can not even look to our own family members for our ultimate hope. Anything less than Christ is less than Glory.
I believe though, that if we look to Christ, placing all our hope and shaping our lives to model Him, then even the most trivial issue can be redeemed. All the big issues too, such as racism, classism, disunity, abortion, murder, and so on can be gotten rid of and hearts healed. Of course, it starts with genuinely believing in Christ, and then placing our Hope in His victory, His return, His glorification.
Final Blessing:
Take a moment, and try to imagine the first moment of Glory, the first moments in Heaven. What if that is what your strove for even now? Though we place our hopes in the future, and forget our sinful mistakes of the past, we can try to be agents of reconciliation in the present. Yet, we can only know how to shape the present if we know how it will be shaped for eternity. That is why we must pursue and place hope in what is yet to come.
Now may the Lord of Life and Redemption be with you in every step, every breath, and every heartbeat of your journey.
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