If Only Forever

What if you could see yourself in a perfect glorified body, free from the miseries and heaviness of life? What if you could catch a glimpse of what it might be like to have no sickness, crying, or pain, and even more than that, freedom from sin? I could not help but think of the future glory of all those who are in Christ as I read a story and watched a short clip of a project called “If Only for a Second,” put together by the Mimi Foundation. The concept for the project is simple: give cancer patients a moment when they can forget their disease, if only for a second, and capture that moment in a photograph.

I must admit that I did not have great expectations for what I was about to witness. The cynic in me was about to write it off as a novel approach to capitalize on suffering. I have since tabled that notion. Have I forgotten that the world suffers and is desperate to find relief, if just for a single moment? As I watched, I was reminded of the universal suffering we all share, and how so many will never be free from it. As I saw the faces of those people light up in astonishment and joy, I couldn’t help but sink into sadness. I have watched my share of cancer victims slip into eternity without any assurance of being free from their suffering. Then my mind quickly ran to the hope that possesses me. I think of the moment when believers will finally be perfected and glorified with new resurrected bodies (1 Cor 15), when we see Jesus face-to-face, and He wipes away all our tears (Rev 21:4). This is the Blessed Hope of every believer.

If only we would live like we really believed it. If only we could catch a glimpse of our future condition as well as others. In The Weight of Glory, C.S. Lewis challenges us to reflect on the future glory that awaits believers

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship…”

I applaud what the Mimi Foundation is doing. I wouldn’t want them to do any less, but as Christians, we have more to offer. Let’s live in light of our future glory holding out hope to those who are dying.