As a child, my dad was always cleaning windows. When I got married, Dave and I would go to visit my folks and as we were in the car ready to drive away, Daddy would stop us and clean the windshield. It didn’t matter that we were heading to the gas station and would do it there. We couldn’t leave with a dirty windshield.
Dirty windows are one of my pet peeves. I’ve been known to get up early and clean windows, windows don’t streak if you wash them when the sun isn’t as intense. I’ve come to realize that not only had my earthly father given me a desire for clean, clear windows but my heavenly Father had as well.
“When we were children, we thought and reasoned as children do. But when we grew up, we quit our childish ways. 12 Now all we can see of God is like a cloudy picture in a mirror. Later we will see him face to face. We don’t know everything, but then we will, just as God completely understands us. 13 For now there are faith, hope, and love. But of these three, the greatest is love.” I Corinthians 13:11-13
These are the verses from the end of the love chapter, I Corinthians 13. Paul draws a comparision between our thinking like children and the way we see God. We don’t have full understanding of things when we are children and while we are here on earth we really don’t have a full understanding of God’s character and His purpose for us. It’s like looking through a dirty glass – we just can’t see clearly but we will someday.
As children we don’t completely understand many things that we gain knowledge of as we grow into mature adults. We grow in our knowledge of the Father’s love and kindness the longer we are in relationship with Him but we won’t have full understanding until we get to heaven. That’s where faith, hope and love come in.
Our hope in God and His word is what feeds our faith to not only believe that God can do all things but that He will! Why? Because of His great love. Gaining knowledge of God’s love is like cleaning the windows, we get a clearer picture of who God is. Once we get to heaven, we will know as God does but until then we keep growing.
“But God showed how much he loved us by having Christ die for us, even though we were sinful. 9 But there is more! Now that God has accepted us because Christ sacrificed his life’s blood, we will also be kept safe from God’s anger. 10 Even when we were God’s enemies, he made peace with us, because his Son died for us. Yet something even greater than friendship is ours. Now that we are at peace with God, we will be saved by his Son’s life.” Romans 5:8-10
Looking out my front window this morning I realize I have a job ahead of me. The windows need to be cleaned and as I look into God’s word I see there are areas where my understanding is limited also. Time to do some cleaning and see through the eyes of faith.