When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. (I Corinthians 13:11-12 ESV)
Learning and Hope
On my bookshelf is a line of books that stretches out for almost three feet. These wonderful orange books, printed by the United States Air Force, are lesson plans and assignments to learn the Russian Language… spoken, written, and thought.
I bought that set of books, after haggling for over a year, from a friend who owns a used bookstore in North Dakota. I took the books home and got to work. After nine months I had only covered a few inches worth of the series.
I knew forty verbs, fifty nouns, four common verb declensions, three forms, and approximately one quarter of the pronunciation charts required to achieve Level One.
I gave up for four years.
When I think about my efforts back then, I remember Paul’s comments in these verses.
We have so much to learn. We know so little. Even about important basic truths of the gospel, our knowledge is so small.
But we WILL know! We will know fully! We will even see Him as He is! (I John 3:2)
On those mornings when we do not know what is going on… at those times when we remember that we have forgotten more than we think we ever knew… in those afternoons of confusion and insecurity.. have hope that we WILL know all that we need to know. And more!
We will know as much as Abraham, as much as Moses, as much as Elijah, as much as Isaiah, as much as Matthew, as much as John, as much as Paul.
God will teach us.
Take the hope God grants us.