The Dim View
Written By: Chris Mace
Sometimes it is difficult to see ahead. Just as this lobsterman moves expectantly searching from pot to pot through early morning fog, we press ahead with day to day plans. But we have no assurance they will happen or be fully as imagined. Our earthly futures are not guaranteed, and our view of reality is imperfect. We may strive to be God, but we are not. Our knowledge of this universe is limited. Our understanding of God and of eternal things is even more obscured. King Solomon “realized that no one can discover everything God is doing under the sun. Not even the wisest people discover everything, no matter what they claim.” (Ecclesiastes 8:16-17) Our finiteness obscures the infinite, and we are surrounded by great mysteries.
We even have trouble understanding ourselves let alone God. The Apostle Paul described this lack of clarity as “seeing through a glass darkly” or as looking through distorted glass or viewing our lives in a badly reflecting mirror. (1Corinthians 13) James used a mirror metaphor for God’s Word where we can see who we are intended to be—-like Christ, who possesses God’s perfect nature. (James 1:23) An honest look in that self reflecting mirror reveals a blurred, distorted reflection of God’s image because of our imperfections and moral weaknesses.
However, God’s view of humanity is neither fuzzy nor conflicted. He is not distant but interactive with us and calls it like it is. We fall short of His glory, the glory He gave us, the glory we have marred (Romans 3:23). We deserve His correction and judgment. However, love wins! He values our souls with such immense kindness, compassion, and love that He sent Jesus to redeem us, and if and when we believe, He graciously and mercifully covers our souls in Christ’s righteousness.
At some future time, the haziness will lift. We will no longer struggle for a clear view of all our “pots.” Cosmic mysteries will be resolved. Questions about our relationship with our Creator will be resolved. Whether or not He is our sovereign redeemer will be answered. In that moment, our real position and purposes will be clearly understood. We will know “as we are known.” (1 Corinthians 13:12)