Perspective
| Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. (2Corinthians4:16-18) |
Imagine pouring your heart out to a counsellor about the heartaches you are going through only to have them say, "Oh... don't worry, these light and momentary troubles are achieving an eternal glory that far outweighs them all..."
"Light and momentary troubles?" [Sputter, gasp, gape in shock]
Facing cancer, a job loss, a broken relationship or something similar is anything but light and momentary. It's tough, challenging, heart-breaking, soul-draining and exhausting.
But before we are too quick to drag Paul off to those sensitivity and empathy classes, let's pay more careful attention to what he is actually saying.
Firstly, he starts with a "therefore". (What is it "there for"?) It's referring to the previous verses where Paul reminds us that we have treasure (The presence, love and power of God) in our clay pot lives to show that the power is from God and not from us and that we are: "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed." (2Cor4:8-9) And so Paul is operating from the premise that the love, power, grace and presence of God lives in us.
Secondly, he has adequately acknowledged the trouble: hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, struck down and he acknowledges that this can cause us to lose heart. So Paul is not trivialising the pain or the danger of what pain can do to us.
In the third place, he acknowledges our frailty: we get sick, we grow old and we all will die. BUT he also acknowledges that God is at work in us day by day. John says the same thing in his first letter: "Greater is He who is within you than he who is in the world."
So what is Paul actually saying once we get past his seeming insensitivity?
- Our troubles are temporary, God's grace is eternal.
- Our troubles are light - the only other time this Greek word is used in the NT is when Jesus says: "My yoke easy and my burden is light." With His help we will get through.
- God will work in our circumstances for our good.
When we take it all in, Paul, although coming across a bit blunt, is giving us some all-important truth and perspective:
- God is at work in us. We are not alone. Nothing is bigger than the love and grace of God.
- Trouble does come. It WILL pass. It is only too heavy if we are not relying on Him whose burden is light.
- If we don't lift our eyes beyond our circumstances we will drown in them.
Paul reminds us to recognise that God is with us in the long haul and He will bring us HOME.
