There is one more point I want to emphasize about the fact that God is Eternal, and desires for us to begin thinking in terms of eternity too. Mr Lucado points us to the great St Paul and how he speaks about the difficulties he had endured in his ministry. Yet St Paul states, “Our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (2Co 4:17 NKJV) Then the author says, “What if we took the same attitude toward life? What if we saw our tough times as a grain of sand scarcely worthy of contrast with the forever dunes?” (p54) You see, the truth is, we bring ourselves so much more pain and hardship than God ever desired us to experience. Not only because of The Downfall, but because we tend to act like the difficulties in our lives will never end. That we will be stuck in the heartache forever. Not only is this a lie, but when we believe it, we just intensify our suffering. There is another way, my Friends, a better way.
Let me share with you a saying that has brought me so much relief in life. It first “came to me” when my son was a newborn. Like many babies, he was very colicky and cried at ear-piercing volumes, for hours at a time, usually when I was all alone with him, as my daughter slept soundly. I know now it was God’s still, small voice which whispered in my heart, “This too shall pass.” Yes, it still took him the normal hour or two to calm down, but I was more calm throughout the tantrum. You see? Because I knew it would pass, I could bear it, peacefully.
What if when challenges come, because they will, we remembered that this situation is “but for a moment”? That we will be able to endure come what may because God is with us. Because God has already seen it all and prepared us to be able to go through it all. With Him. In Him. Through Him. By ourselves, good luck! But in Christ, we can remain at peace and hold on to joy through any, and every circumstance. We can…if we turn to God and begin to see life through His eyes of Eternity.
Mr Lucado adds, “The words ‘weight of glory’ conjure up images of the ancient pan scale. Remember the blindfolded lady of justice?” (p55) Then he says, “God does the same with your struggles.” (p55) You see, on one side God sees all our heartache and troubles, but on the other side He sees our eternity! Listen to Mr Lucado’s encouraging and hopeful words: “Now witness God’s response. Does he remove them? Eliminate the burdens? No, rather than take them, he offsets them. He places an eternal weight of glory on the other side. Endless joy. Measureless peace. An eternity of him. Watch what happens as he sets eternity on your scale. Everything changes! The burdens lift. The heavy becomes light when weighed against eternity.” (pp55-56 my emphasis) My Friends, this is a big one for me lately, so I challenge us, when we are tempted to complain about our current adversity, let’s stop and shout out “This is but for a moment!” And remember that, we truly can endure all things through Christ who strengthens us, remaining content as He gets us through it. “Of course, godliness with contentment is great gain.” (1Ti 6:6) That is my new goal in life…I hope you join me!
2023’s Got A Minute? Book Club
January: The First & Best Book Ever: The Bible
February: Love Is In the Air: “The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts” by Gary Chapman
March: Spring Growth: “Secrets of the Vine” by Bruce Wilkinson
April: Living the Resurrected Life: “The Wonderful Spirit Filled Life” by Dr Charles Stanley
May: My Spiritual Mom: “Making Good Habits Breaking Bad Habits” by Joyce Meyer
June: Spiritual Dad: “It’s Not About Me- Rescue from the Life We Thought Would Make Us Happy” by Max Lucado
<>< Peace, Diane
