In life God seldom moves suddenly and often moves slowly. Of course, we desire flashes of insight which carry us forward quickly. But we must apply those insights and that can take years. That is the slowness of God. How we live with God’s slowness before Christ appears, Paul addresses in Colossians 3:1-3:

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. ² Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. ³ For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. ⁴ When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Colossians 3:1-3).

Notice Paul ends with the unveiling of our true identity when Christ returns in glory. In the meantime, we must set our hearts, our emotional center, on Christ in heaven, because we have been raised and seated with him there. He then tells us to focus our mind, our thoughts, on Christ in heaven, not on this world, because we died with Christ and are hidden with him in God. When that sudden moment of Christ’s return occurs, our hidden identity will become visible to all.

We are caterpillars concealed in the chrysalis of our body. Paul writes beautifully about the moment of our revelation: “The whole creation waits breathless with anticipation for the revelation of God’s sons and daughter” (Romans 8:19 CEB). Every angel, demon, tree, flower, blade of grass, star, planet, animal, bird, and the fish of the sea eagerly wait for God to reveal you, with Christ, in your resurrection glory.

Until then, your resurrection identity remains certain, though unseen. The reality of your sitting with Christ in heaven, while also sitting here on earth, is a mystery. Seeing it requires eyes of faith. The author of Hebrews addresses this in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, being convinced of what we do not see” (NET). Living with our heart and mind set on Christ, waiting for his appearance and our unveiling, engages us with the slowly of God.