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| Photo by Danielle Hendrickson |
Recently, we were told the Northern Lights would be visible here in Central Pennsylvania, a rarity for our area. Dick and I went out and looked but couldn’t see much with the naked eye. However, a friend told us to view it through a camera lens. What a stunning display of colors became visible! Many people snapped and posted pictures on Facebook.
Dick’s and my struggle to see them reminded me of I Corinthians 13:12: “What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face-to-face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete—as complete as God's knowledge of me.”
Paul writes this immediately after describing true and genuine love. (vs. 4-8). Paul realized that our understanding of God’s love is immature and short-sighted, like looking at a reflection in a mirror. A mirror only shows us one aspect, not a total 3D panoramic view. Keep in mind, also, that in Paul’s world, mirrors were made of polished metal discs that reflected a blurred, imperfect image, not the vivid clarity of looking at someone up close.
Those of us seeing the Northern Lights in PA with just our limited vision missed so much of its beauty! Similarly, even as believers, we don’t grasp just how vast and awesome is God’s love. Paul writes in Ephesians 3: 17-19, “I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. Yes, may you come to know his love—although it can never be fully known—and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.”
When we accept Christ as our Savior, we begin to realize God’s love for us. This experience is but a taste of the love Christ will pour into our hearts. We won’t know it fully until we stand in God’s presence in Heaven. And what a spectacular light show THAT will be!
Be encouraged!
©2024 Pamela D. Williams.
