Read: 1 Corinthians 13:8-13

Hunter peered ahead through the fog that surrounded them. “Hey, Dad!” he said as he and his father approached the large city they were visiting. “Look!” He pointed toward the distant city skyline that was almost completely hidden by the fog. “You can hardly see those huge buildings today.”

“Keep watching them,” Dad said. “As we get closer, the fog will seem to disappear and the buildings will become clearer.”

Hunter stared at the hazy outline of the city as they drove in silence for a few minutes. As expected, the closer they got to the buildings, the clearer everything began to look. Hunter grinned at his dad. “Those buildings aren’t so dim anymore.”

Dad smiled. “Do you remember the verse in First Corinthians that says, ‘For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known’?”

“Yep. I remember that one,” said Hunter. “I had it for a memory verse once. It’s talking about heaven, isn’t it? That’s when we’ll see Jesus face-to-face.”

Dad nodded. “From a distance, we had trouble seeing the buildings through the fog. We saw them only dimly. It’s a picture of how we see Jesus now. Sometimes we have a hard time understanding Him and His great love and wisdom.” Dad motioned toward the city. “Now that we’re closer to the buildings, we see them more clearly.”

“So we won’t be able to see Jesus clearly until we get to heaven?” asked Hunter.

“That’s when we’ll fully know Him, but we can see and understand Him more clearly now by focusing our attention on Him—just like you can see the building through the fog better by focusing your eyes on it.”

“How do we do that?” asked Hunter.

“By learning more about Him in the Bible, praying, going to church, and trusting Him to help us love others the way He does,” replied Dad. “All these things help us know Him better and understand who He is. And one day we’ll finally see Him face-to-face and know Him perfectly!”

Hunter looked out the window as they drove into the city. “Look, Dad!” He pointed to the looming skyline. “We’re almost there!”

–Richard S. Maffeo

How about you? Do you know Jesus but find it hard to understand everything about Him? You can get to know Him better by spending time with Him both on your own and with other Christians, but you won’t understand Him fully until you see Him face-to-face. Until then, know that He’s always with you, and remember that one day you’ll be with Him for all eternity.

Today's Key Verse: For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known. 1 Corinthians 13:12 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: We’ll know Jesus fully in heaven