Lenten Reflection - March 15, 2008

“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

Reflection by Susan Whitehead

It is said that around the age of 35 our bodies begin to decline, leading us ultimately to the infirmities associated with aging. In essence, we are dying little by little every day. In the previous verse (4:16), Paul encourages the Christians at Corinth not to lose heart for “though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day.” But for Paul and others preaching the Gospel, the deterioration of their outer or physical bodies is not merely the result of natural processes but the sufferings they endure in spreading the good news. Yet, Paul indicates that his spirit is renewed daily and ours should be, too. While Paul refers to “light and momentary troubles,” in fact he and the apostles have suffered significantly. Paul has been beaten a number of times and once was stoned and left for dead. Paul is living out the life of Christ through his own sufferings and to refer to them as “light” and “momentary” is possible only because of his profound faith, the “unseen.” Likewise, as we experience trials and tribulations in our lives, through our faith we know that they will never outweigh the eternal blessings that await us.

I heard a story once about a man who was buried in his car. Do I believe that he is riding around heaven in four-wheeled glory? Not at all. For as Paul is pointing out in this passage, what is seen – all those details of our lives such as jobs, activities, families, possessions, relationships – are merely temporary. We can not take them with us when we die. But, because of Christ’s death on Calvary, we can be assured of heavenly blessings, unseen and eternal, because our Lord promised them to us.