"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. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal." - 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
This past week concluded the Shawreth Rush that I was apart of. It has been a long, tiring journey. One filled with stress, fatigue, and anxiety. It was physically taxing, mentally demanding, and emotionally stressful. But, I have realized that all of those "momentary troubles" have built upon one another to contribute to my overall personal strength and courage. It has taught me that the troubles we go through in life are placed there by God, only to make us stronger. Even if we see no good in them, no "light at the end of the tunnel", we can always know that God is that light, and He can turn those bad situations into ones that glorify Him.
At the end of this verse in 2 Corinthians, we see this statement that encourages us to "fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen". This is the ultimate statement of what faith is all about. We read in Hebrews 11:1-6, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." That's what I find hard to do most of the time. Believing in the unseen. Why? Well the answer lies in verse 18 of 2 Corinthians 4. We are to believe in the unseen because all that we can see here on earth is temporary, for it's the unseen that lasts forever. I think most of us have a hard time letting go of the things of this world, and focusing on the things that are really something. In order to not "be of the World" we have to let go of those things that are "seen".
Believing in the unseen, the true essence of what faith exactly is, will bring not only pleasure to God, but will invigorate our lives, our hearts, and our minds, no matter what, when, or where troubles come into our lives. If we believe in God, who can be against us? That question is one of the many things that helped me get through those tough times I've been through lately. It helped me, and I hope that these words may help encourage you as you further your walk with Christ.
2 comments:
"this boy"- matthew labathe.
i've been talking to him since july.
but recently he's not putting any effort into this.
Robbie has been my lifesaver since you and alex graduated. I pretty much spill my life on him.
I love your blog, its UBER GOOD! Haha.
I would love to go to Watkins for photography school, but I think God is calling me to go to africa to rehabilitate big cats and witness to the people.
I just dont know how I am going to get though college for that, or get to africa for that matter.
In times of trouble, e.g. when a beloved person dies, this truth, that there is a world of unseen things and that this world is the actual aim for Christians, is sometimes so far away and seems really weak and of no importance at all ...
Still, who else could we stick to? The only one who came to the earth, died, and rose again is our dear Lord Jesus Christ. That's why he's the only one who is worth our trust :-)
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