I was doing physical therapy exercises for my lower back this morning, and feeling a bit pathetic, when I heard my six year old nephew upstairs full of imagination and zest. I pictured the health of this energetic little guy. I put myself in his mind, knowing the sheer fascination he was having with life, the free and painless movements of his body, his trust in his parents, and the kind of ignorance which was freeing. Knowledge is good, but so much of our adult knowledge is heavy and lopsided and burdens us, because it is not fully conformed to Scripture. On the other hand, much of our knowledge of life is just painfully accurate. My nephew was in a state of flowering knowledge of the energizing sort.

I realized I had a hunger for youthfulness. No, not just youthfulness, as being like a youth, but to be a youth in fact. Strong, vibrant, energetic, a mind for courage, a body for fun bumps and bruises, and ideally, a heart never betrayed. And no back pain! No belly fat. No pills for my myriad issues. Gosh. God, give me that!

It broke through to my heart that I will again be young. I will be young in a way that makes the youth of this age look slow, dull, and clumsy. For God will make me, and all of us who are in Christ, young again at our resurrection.

I have little idea how we will actually look. Something beyond my nephew, beyond my own youth, beyond any admirable qualities of the legendary greek gods, beyond the greatest athletes of this age, beyond, even, what Jesus showed Himself to be when He appeared in the flesh for forty days after His resurrection. While in His resurrection body He was, I believe, still veiling almost all of His glory. Not so when John sees Him in a vision in Revelation chapter 1:12-16:

"Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me. And having turned I saw seven golden lampstands; and in the middle of the lampstands I saw one like a son of man, clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength."

We shall be His brothers and sisters, and therefore of like body and appearance. Surely He will infinitely excel beyond us in the vigor of His everlasting, perpetual glory- His perfect youth, if you will. He will outshine us as the sun outshines the stars of night. But being of the same family, we will be like Him. Young, wise, glorious, strong, full of love and innocence. Full of literally unending energy! Free of any pain! Full of the pleasure of the Spirit of God, and aflame with zeal forever and ever.

But for now we age and ache. We hunger for the full redemption of our bodies and minds. We grow inwardly while we waste away outwardly. We look forward to the glorified Christ, our elder Brother. And we yearn with full expectation that after just a little while, we will be perfectly young again, and perfected in all things, having no blemish of sin or countenance! For we will be with Him at last!