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 4:17-18
In the light of eternity, all our troubles are “light and momentary!” For Paul, his light and momentary troubles meant being “hard pressed on every side … perplexed … persecuted … struck down” (verse 8). To view these as “light and momentary” is ridiculous if this life is all there is, however as Paul goes on to say, “what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”
We like to put down roots and find security in things like getting married and owning a home. We like the freedom of being able to organize the future. We like permanence in order to make long term plans. These things aren’t wrong in themselves but they prove inadequate when they become the basis for our security.
When my husband was diagnosed with cancer, my sense of security was completely shattered. The things that made me feel secure—my marriage, family, and home were things I was in danger of losing. After he recovered, I wasn’t the same. I decided never again to put my security in things that were temporal. God desires that I live like a visitor, expecting me to trust him with my future, and sometimes he teaches me this by removing my earthly securities.
I heard this recently, “We are not human beings on a spiritual journey but spiritual beings on a human journey.” Our true home is beyond this world. This perspective loosens our hold on earthly things so we can live with eternity in mind.
