"Beloved, now we are children of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be." 1 John 3:2

Reflection by Kenneth L. Samuel

There is a forward momentum to the Christian faith that is absolutely undeniable.  No matter what goals  we've attained or challenges we've conquered, there is an element of our faith in Christ that keeps beckoning us toward something more.  There is always something yet to be consummated in us, something yet to be realized about us and something yet to be received through us.

I like to call this urgent beckoning toward our destiny's fulfillment the "not yet factor."  The hope that we have for what has not yet been revealed is what keeps us from being stagnated by our present accomplishments.  Steve Jobs, the man who redefined technology in the 21st century, was relentless in his quest to keep his focus on the future, despite the impending limitations of his own mortality.  "Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life," he told the 2005 graduating class of Stanford University.

According to the book of Hebrews, faith is the substance of what we hope for and the evidence of that which we do not yet see.  This focus on the future is what moves us past the myopic perceptions of our own supposed perfection and engages us in the thoughtful processes of becoming better than we are—indeed  better than we've ever been.  Realists may be expert at analyzing the present, but it takes visionaries to discern the seeds of new possibilities, and to open doors to the future.

In the modern day parable, The Shack, by William P. Young, God speaks to a man living with deep depression and says: "You are depressed because every perception you have of your future is without me."  The "not yet factor" requires vision beyond sight.

Prayer

Lord, you are the God of our past, our present and our future.  Give us sufficient grace for what is, and sufficient hope for what is yet to be revealed.  Amen.

About the Author Kenneth L. Samuel is Pastor of Victory for the World Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia.

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