October 15: Until the Weather Clears

Scripture
We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!
But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward that consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.
1 Corinthians 13:12–13 (The Message)

I love how Eugene Peterson phrases this familiar passage. Paul gives us such a real picture of life in the here and now: “We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist.” Isn’t that true? We try to make sense of things, but sometimes life just feels unclear. The world is broken, our understanding is limited, and even our own sin can cloud our vision. But Paul reminds us that it won’t always be this way. A day is coming when “the weather clears and the sun shines bright.” One day, we will see God face to face and understand everything clearly.

So how do we live in the meantime, when the fog hasn’t lifted yet? Paul gives us three simple, powerful instructions: trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, and love extravagantly. Trust keeps us anchored when we can’t see what’s ahead. Hope keeps us looking forward, confident that God is leading us toward something good. And love, Paul says, is the greatest of all.

Trust and hope are vital, but love is what defines the Christian life. It is the very nature of the God we follow. And love isn’t just a feeling; it’s a choice we make every day. C.S. Lewis once wrote, “Christian love is not an emotion. It is a state of the will.”¹ True love begins with receiving God’s love for us, and it grows as we choose to extend that same love to others.

There will come a day when the fog lifts and we stand in the full light of His presence. Until that day, let’s keep trusting God even when the path is not clear, keep hoping when life feels uncertain, and keep choosing love in every moment. Each time we love others the way Christ loves us, the fog grows thinner and His light shines a little brighter through our lives.

Reflection
1. What areas of your life feel foggy or uncertain right now? How can you choose to trust God in them?

2. Which of the three—steady trust, unswerving hope, or extravagant love—do you sense God inviting you to grow in today?

3. What is one tangible way you can love extravagantly this week, choosing to love as an act of the will?

Prayer
Ask God to help you see through the fog of this world with eyes of faith. Pray for steady trust, unwavering hope, and a heart overflowing with His love. Thank Him for the promise that one day you will see Him face to face and know Him fully.

Footnote
¹ C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: HarperOne, 2001), 116.