2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.

In recent years I think I have quoted this verse more than any other in the whole Bible! It puts everything in this life into perspective, and that can be very valuable indeed. In the moment, we don’t feel like our troubles are light, and from our perspective they may seem to go on for a long time, but on the scale of eternity, they certainly qualify as momentary. We really don’t have much grasp of the eternal glory that awaits believers, but Paul had had a near-death experience when he was stoned in Lystra, (Acts 14:19-20) so he had an idea of what he was talking about. There was doubtless a lot of physical pain in that, and in the recovery afterward, but at the same time I think Paul was glad he had been through it, because it prepared him to face the rest of his life, including his eventual martyrdom. Part of maturity – physical, emotional, and spiritual – is the ability to put things into perspective and not get all worked up over things that we learn will seem much smaller in retrospect. Adults sometimes laugh at the angst of teenagers over various things, for example, maybe not even remembering when they went through the same sort of trials. The problem is, our response to temporary issues can have far-reaching consequences. The ultimate example of such a response is suicide, but there are many, many more negative responses we can make. As has been said, success in life isn’t a matter of what happens to you so much as it is in how you respond to what happens. We generally have little if any control over what happens to us, but we have far more control than we realize over how we respond to it. This verse should give every believer the assurance to praise God and thank Him, whatever is going on in their life.

I experience things constantly that, if I allowed them to, could drag me down a great deal. Just this morning I received a message that makes me very concerned about my relationship with someone I care about very deeply, and I am praying for God’s wisdom in responding to it. On the physical side, in January of last year I broke my left wrist rather spectacularly, requiring surgery to install a titanium plate to put it back together, and then physical therapy for me to regain full use of the wrist. However, it never felt like that big a deal to me, and now I remember it only occasionally, even though it’s been less than two years ago now. I am very grateful for perspective! One thing the Lord has spoken to me repeatedly is something Peter said: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8) My awareness of time is not at all like God’s, and I need to trust Him to do the right thing at the right time, for my blessing and the blessing of those around me, and for His glory.

Father, thank You for this reminder. Thank You for all You’ve allowed me to get done already this morning. I pray that each moment of today I would flow with Your Spirit on Your schedule, so that all of Your purposes for me may be fulfilled for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!