While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things that are unseen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.
-II Corinthians 4:17-18
What keeps us going when nothing else does? Heavenly persuasions! God tells us here that the hurt and rejection we feel in life is light affliction. Imagine how heavier it would feel if you carried the burden all by yourself. God is the One carrying you through, and He keeps you going when the going gets rough.
All pain is temporary. The Bible expresses it as "but for a moment" (verse 17). Although suffering seems to last forever, it doesn't. To a child, a bee sting is traumatizing because he's never been stung before; we as adults know from experience that the pain will pass, therefore we calmly dress it with baking soda and wait it out. Every trial we face terrifies us because it is uncharted waters, but we must remember that each one is only temporary.
Remember, for every cross there is a crown. Any affliction we might face "worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (verse 17). In other words, it will be worth it all when we see Jesus! What a good deal: our affliction is actually relatively light; it won't last forever; and by enduring with patience, we lay up treasures that will last forever!
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