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 “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.”

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Years ago I was hiking in a dense forest. I left the trail to do some exploring but soon lost my way in a maze of trees. A nearby hill provided the proper perspective from which I was able to regain my bearings

The world is more than ready to invite you to keep focused on the tree and not the forest. And nothing can rob the Christian life of its’ joy faster than narrowing in on your problems, as if they are the defining reality in life.  St. Paul says differently. Look to what you cannot see. 

The outward person is subject to all kinds of wear and tear in this life. There is nothing unusual or exceptional about having all sorts of problems. This sets us up, of course, to believe that the sum total of life is to get about either avoiding or solving these problems. For many people this is, essentially, what life amounts to. But not for the Christian.

The Christian life is one of perpetual renewal. Each day, Christ Jesus brings us to the vantage point from which we may behold  the troubles of this life from the vast vista of His grace.

Earthly troubles will last only a little while, but the glory of heaven will endure forever. Do not concentrate on your earthly troubles as if they are greater than the One who is in you. They are not. But the unseen things do not only reside in the realm of hope. The Holy Spirit has been given to you. God Himself hovers over your life, turning everything to good, bringing life out of all those little deaths that preoccupy you so.

The world obsesses on its’ aches and pains, giving them too high a place. The Christian lives each day from the vantage point of the hilltop, mindful of the struggles, but held in that vision of the final victory that is ours through our Lord Jesus Christ.

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

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