"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
I have written about these verse before, but as I was reading today I was thinking of a scale, where our "light afflictions" were weighing in as pretty heavy, but then when we put on the "weight of glory," it seems like nothing. And I think that is how life seems sometimes. While we're in the middle of it, so many things seem to weigh us down, with sorrow or paperwork or pain or impossible choices... so many things seem to loom over our lives and we don't know how to get out of the shadow. And part of it is what it is talking about... outward man vs. inward man. Even while our bodies are suffering, our souls don't necessarily have to. God is willing to grant us his peace in the midst of a chaotic world, and he can help our burdens to feel light, and help us to even be patient and cheerful in the midst of distress. Our inward man can be renewed and refreshed every day... and how does this happen? It happens through prayer and communication with God... through scriptures, through reading the words of the prophets, through remembering verses and hymns and other gospel things that we have read or heard in the past. If we fill our lives with God's word, then he has so many more ways that he can communicate with us. Sometimes in the middle of something hard God can bless us with just the tiniest, briefest moment of heavenly peace, and in that moment we understand. We realize that our light afflictions might as well be helium-filled latex balloons compared to how much eternity outweighs and overpowers anything bad that could possibly happen to us. God *will* make everything alright in the end... no matter how bad this moment, or any moment is. It gets better... and it always will, as we stay close to God, and renew our inward man. :)
Today, let's remember that the good always outweighs the bad, even if we can't see it, and even if it feels like this trial will never end. God's promises are sure. Let's look forward to that eternal weight of glory, which can lift us out of anything that is weighing on us, and make us feel like we can fly. :)
For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;"
2 Corinthians 4:16-17
I have written about these verse before, but as I was reading today I was thinking of a scale, where our "light afflictions" were weighing in as pretty heavy, but then when we put on the "weight of glory," it seems like nothing. And I think that is how life seems sometimes. While we're in the middle of it, so many things seem to weigh us down, with sorrow or paperwork or pain or impossible choices... so many things seem to loom over our lives and we don't know how to get out of the shadow. And part of it is what it is talking about... outward man vs. inward man. Even while our bodies are suffering, our souls don't necessarily have to. God is willing to grant us his peace in the midst of a chaotic world, and he can help our burdens to feel light, and help us to even be patient and cheerful in the midst of distress. Our inward man can be renewed and refreshed every day... and how does this happen? It happens through prayer and communication with God... through scriptures, through reading the words of the prophets, through remembering verses and hymns and other gospel things that we have read or heard in the past. If we fill our lives with God's word, then he has so many more ways that he can communicate with us. Sometimes in the middle of something hard God can bless us with just the tiniest, briefest moment of heavenly peace, and in that moment we understand. We realize that our light afflictions might as well be helium-filled latex balloons compared to how much eternity outweighs and overpowers anything bad that could possibly happen to us. God *will* make everything alright in the end... no matter how bad this moment, or any moment is. It gets better... and it always will, as we stay close to God, and renew our inward man. :)
Today, let's remember that the good always outweighs the bad, even if we can't see it, and even if it feels like this trial will never end. God's promises are sure. Let's look forward to that eternal weight of glory, which can lift us out of anything that is weighing on us, and make us feel like we can fly. :)
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