Most Sundays he takes his place, just a few seats to my right, and worships Jesus: tall, young, handsome, strong, and gentle of soul. He’s still in high school, but it’s easy to see the man he will become—he’s almost there. His future is coming into focus; he puts on display the all the years of love and nurture, of direction and care he’s received. But fifteen years ago he was toddling about: short, pudgy, cute, and sweet of spirit—who could have ever imagined he would grow into this tower of strength and kindness?

When I look at him I’m reminded of this dear passage, so full of life:

See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. ~ 1 John 3:1-3

In less than a hundred words we find encouragement and hope, enough for today, enough to take us forward for years. May I share with you what I see?

See…

It’s a Bible verb, it’s a command—a command full of promise. The goodness of God is on display all around us, from the high school senior just ready to start out in life, to the recovering addict who needs to step out of church to grab a cigarette, because 90 minutes is too long to go without a smoke. Do we see? From Genesis to Revelation we are invited to “behold” more than a thousand times. I suspect we receive a thousand invitations to see the work of God each day.

…how great a love…

Well, forget it: there’s no way to comment on this—how can the finite mind comprehend the infinite love of God? And yet we are invited to see: Paul prayed that our eyes would be opened, that we might “be able to comprehend . . . what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.” But seeing the love of God leads us to a wonderful destination:

…we would be called children of God; and such we are.

His love is lavished on us, with the intent that each one of us, so alienated and apart from our Creator, would be adopted into God’s very family. Let your imagination run along this line: “I am a child of God.” God wants a big family; he wants you to toddle about until you grow into the woman or man he wants you to be. Do you see?

There’s so much more to this passage, but let’s consider just one more facet of the diamond today:

…now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.

It’s easy to see what my high school friend will become. He’s almost there—or is he? What we see clearly in the natural is multiplied a thousand-fold in the Spirit. What will he be–what will we be? The Apostle John (who wrote this passage) invites us to discover the possibilities of life in the Spirit. The kind of possibilities the world cannot see; the kind of possibilities that reveal what God had in mind for us when he adopted us into his family. The family likeness—of God—awaits. Nor is this only true for us, nor the high-schooler nearby, nor the addict who sits to my left each week. It’s for everyone we meet: “and it has not appeared as yet what we will be.”  Not only are the possibilities myriad for us individually, they are multiplied upon every child in the family.

If we will only see.