“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him…” (2 Corinthians 2:9)

Today as I was seeking the Lord for guidance regarding a personal matter, I saw the image of a big mouthwatering cinnamon bun and heard the words, “The best is yet to come.”

I thought about what it’s like to eat a cinnamon bun. Unless you cut into it with a knife, you don’t get to the most sumptuous and delicious parts until you’ve eaten the somewhat delicous part that surrounds it. And that’s  a great analogy for what life in the Spirit is like. The best is always yet to come. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says: “…and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord,are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” That means that as we grow deeper in our releationship with Jesus, remaining in His love and beholding His glory, we become more and more like Him – from one degree of glory to another. As long as we remain in His love, the best truly is yet to come.

Thank God, this incredible transformation and its ever increasing degrees of glory are not dependent on who we are or what we do. According to the verse, the only qualification is beholding His glory with unveiled face; remaining humble, and allowing ourselves to be vulnerable and transparent before Him. God does not judge us according to our shortcomings. It’s our potential He sees, and He knows exactly what that potential is because He put it there. Jesus said, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love.” (John 15:9) He loves us the same way the Father loves Him – that’s the greatest love anyone could ever experience! Jesus tells us to remain in His love because He never withdraws His love. No matter what we do, His love will always remain. (See Romans 8:38-39.) But sometimes we ourselves can let sin, or guilt, or shame, or doubt, or sorrow, or fear, remove us from His love. It’s not Jesus who withdraws, it’s us.

Right now, today, my life may have its challenges and difficulties. Right now, today, I may not be all that I want to be. Right now, today, I may feel anxious about my future, but I thank God for showing me that my life is like that cinnamon bun. The sweetest, most delicious and satisfying times of my life in the Spirit are still to come. I have nothing to fear. I can’t even imagine what God has prepared for my future, but I know that, because I love Him, the best is yet to come.