What We May Be
August 20, 2009
"We know what we are, but we know not what we may be." - Shakespeare.
"Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." - 1 John 3:2
What are we?
Those attempting to appear humble may say, "I'm nothing," "I'm a nobody," or even, "I am a miserable, unlovable sinner."
Maybe we were some of those things.
Maybe if we were to extract some of those qualities and assume that they define us, we would be partially accurate.
John makes a startling statement for those who have embraced grace through Jesus. He says that we are, now, in this present moment, children of God.
That is the reality, even if it is an invisible reality. It is a statement about the character of God who welcomes us in love, and about who we come through repentance and transformation as we are redeemed from alienation, received into our adopted family, and reconciled with the Father.
It is who we are and how God sees us now.
What we shall be, we cannot even imagine - in this life as we gaze upon Jesus, and in the life to come as we see Him face to face.
This goes far beyond positive self-esteem and does not even resemble narcissism. It is liberating enough that we are able to take a back seat. It is confident enough that we never have to toot our horns. It is settled enough that we may relax in grace and drink deeply from the wells of God's love.