For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12)
The periodical cicadas of North America spend seventeen years in the ground as nymphs. Then, in a synchronized metamorphosis, they hatch into millions of flying insects. The adult cicada investigates forests, finds a mate, and lives his entire above ground life in forty-five days. He chirps from the treetops about his new freedom, but he’ll never know anything about the scope of life—the stock market, literature, the planets—that lies beyond his short winged existence.
My knowledge of my larger surroundings is comparable to the cicada. When I made Jesus my Savior, it was like crawling out of seventeen years in the ground. I saw life through new eyes. There was far more than I could take in, and so it was easy to conclude this huge experience was all there is.
As difficult as it is to get my mind around this earthly life, I must, nevertheless, move beyond my tiny lifespan and embrace a larger existence. I am not a larva or bug. There is another life with angelic creatures, a restored planet, and perfect joy. There’s as much unknown for me in the spiritual dimension, as there is for the adult cicada in the physical.
My only hope is to move toward the one at the center of it all. Jesus is the creator and sustainer of all realms. Therefore, the more I know him, the more I integrate with his dominions. By learning of his faithfulness, grace, righteousness, and passion, I’m already using the currency of my future home. I want to move to Jesus, and away from the limitations of a cicada.
Prayer: Holy One, I attach myself to you in hopes of knowing fully.