“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” (1 Corinthians 13:12 ESV). 

Thanks to technology and its ability to colorize, brighten, enhance, and remove flaws in our photos, people feel the need to post #nofilter when they share beautiful photos that haven’t been touched up. They want everyone to realize that this is the real deal.

Currently our entire world has a filter, one that causes every single good thing not to look better but to look worse. Every joyful event has some sadness because a loved one isn’t there to share the joy. The success we’ve worked so hard to attain doesn’t feel as fulfilling as we hoped it might. The mistakes we’ve made (intentionally or not) leave us feeling guilty even when we pretend we’re fine.

Even our faith is affected by the reality of this tainted, filtered world. We know God forgets and forgives our sins, but other people still bring them up. We know that in heaven there will be no more pain, no more sorrow, no more sadness, but we can’t really wrap our minds around what true joy in God’s eternal presence will be like. We can read what his Word says, but it may not always make sense to us.

This is why every day Christians look forward to meeting Jesus face-to-face. That’s when the filter is not simply removed but completely destroyed. There will truly be #nofilter.