2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”
I spent some time yesterday and today unpacking 2 Corinthians 4 and still have thoughts that are stirring in my heart that haven’t quite hit words on my lips yet. So, again, today will be short and sweet. I looked up what the original greek meant for the word used for “lose heart” in vs. 16 and it is a verb that means: become discouraged, to be weary, to lose courage, faint. Instantly as I read those words my heart screamed “but i FEEL all these things”. I feel discourage, I feel weary, I feel I’ve lost courage, that my heart is faint within me. AND YET, Paul, in the midst of all the affliction they are facing (v.8 “We are afflicted in every way), and the perspective he has on Jesus he says “SO we DO NOT lose heart”. How? How do we not lose heart when life’s circumstances and the sorrows of our heart seem to take a hold of our lives in a way that affects so many areas? Paul goes on to say a lot of other good things (that i may unpack later), but then says “As we LOOK NOT to the things that are seen, but to the things that are UNSEEN.” How do we NOT LOSE heart? We re-adjust our gaze. We think about where we are looking. Am I looking at things that are seen and temporal or things that are unseen and eternal? It is far too easy in seasons of discouragement, disappointment and heartache to fix our gaze on the temporal instead of lift our eyes to the eternal. Today, I’m thinking about what that even means. I’m thinking about what ways I fix my eyes on things that are seen and what it looks like to re-adjust my gaze to things that are unseen. And I’m asking the Lord to help me. To help me see where my eyes need to re-adjust where I’m looking.
And those are the little treasures I’m going to leave you with today. I have much more unpacking of this passage to do as I let God’s word sink more deeply into my heart and re-align my thoughts and gaze so I’m going to stay in this passage for at least another day or two… and would love for you to stay in it with me.
Questions for Reflection:
- Where have I lost heart?
- Where am I looking?
- Where are my eyes fixed today?
- What enabled Paul to say “So we do not lose heart”?
Passage for tomorrow (Day 19)
2 Corinthians 4
Something to watch/listen to to stir your hearts. It’s the first song Kevin and I listened to after we found out Dasah’s diagnosis and I keep coming back to it… not just the songs, but the words that are spoken in the middle. Let it sink in.
- A Time to be Silent and a Time to Speak - October 29, 2020
- Teaching Them to Hope, Birthday After Birthday. - January 15, 2020
- A Taste of Hope Fulfilled – Briella Dawn’s Birth Story - August 3, 2018
