Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col. 3:1-4).

There is great value to think about what is to come. Though the things of earth grasp for our attention, we can make the choice, in faith, to look elsewhere. We can consider what God, in Christ, has laid up for us as our inheritance, and find that, as the song says, “the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.”

There are certainly many aspects of heaven to occupy our attention. We can think of the new heaven and new earth; we can think of the lack of crying or tears or pain; we can think of the place Jesus has prepared for us; we can think of such joy that will make all the pain of the present day start to fade. And yet there is still more. More than enough to think about. But here is one aspect of heaven that you might not have considered:

Clarity.

For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known (1 Cor. 13:9-12).

What characterizes the world in which we live? Confusion. Mistrust. Chaos. Or at least it seems so from our perspective. But it seems so because we have an extremely limited vantage point. Though we know by faith that God is in control, moving all things toward the recognition of the rule and reign of Jesus, we live now with a lack of clarity about how that’s happening. And not only that.

We also live with a lack of clarity about ourselves. Our motives, feelings, and inner thoughts are all corrupted by sin, and as a result, we often find a divide between what we know and what we feel. Or, perhaps even more common, we don’t actually know what we think and feel. And not only that.

We also live with a lack of clarity about God Himself. We know, to a limited extent, of His glory. His grace. His love. His omnipotence. But surely that knowledge is indeed limited. It is, as Paul states, a pale reflection of the reality. But not forever. Someday we will step through the looking glass into that which is more real than real. And we will see fully. We will know, even as we are known by God.

Yes, heaven promises all kinds of things. Reward, joy, eternal pleasure that makes the stuff of the world seem like children’s toys. And along with all those things, there is clarity. To fully know God and His ways. To see Jesus face to face. Now that’s something to consider.