by A meditation on 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
Therefore.
That’s how Paul begins this part of the sentence. “Therefore.”
A hinge. A pivot. A breath before revelation.
It’s as if he’s saying, In light of everything…the affliction, the confusion, the groaning of creation and the groaning within…let me tell you how we survive the ache.
How we don’t quit. How we don’t crack under the weight of a world that keeps coming at us.
“Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.”
And you know what?
That’s true.
The mirror doesn’t lie…
Crow’s feet deepening.
Hairline retreating.
Joints muttering complaints with each stair.
Bodies breaking down, and sometimes spirits too.
But then… there’s this inner place.
A sanctuary the world can’t touch.
Where, in the quiet,
when you stop scrolling,
stop spinning,
stop pretending…
You hear the whisper:
You are being renewed.
Not once.
Not on some mountaintop high.
But day by day.
Like manna.
Like breath.
Like mercy that’s new in the morning.
And then Paul has the audacity to say this:
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
Light and momentary?
Paul, you were beaten, shipwrecked, jailed, hunted, stoned, abandoned.
And you call that light?
Only someone who’s seen beyond the veil can talk like that.
Only someone who’s had the curtain pulled back and caught a glimpse of the coming glory.
Not the fluffy, escapist kind.
But weighty glory. Substance. Kavod.
Something that makes the ache worth it.
Not because the ache vanishes,
but because it transforms.
Because it births something eternal in us.
Resilience. Compassion. Hope.
Which is why…
“We fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.”
Because what is seen is always changing.
Always decaying.
Always slipping through your fingers.
But what is unseen…
That’s the real.
The eternal.
The kingdom breaking in.
The Christ in you.
The Spirit groaning with you.
The glory waiting within you.
So we do not lose heart.
Not because life is easy.
Not because the pain isn’t real.
But because renewal is deeper than decay.
Because glory is heavier than suffering.
Because the unseen is more solid than the seen.
Therefore.
Don’t lose heart, beloved.
Even when the world says you should.
Even when your body betrays you.
Even when all you see is fog…
Fix your eyes.
There’s more going on than you can see.
More being formed in you than you yet understand.
You’re being renewed.
Day. By. Day.
So lovely how Spirit reveals to you the special descriptions of renewal. You’ve developed a special way to reveal God’s Word embracing the complexities and simplifying the outcomes.
Hi Susan! Blessings on you my friend. I find simplicity and mystery great dancing partners.
I have felt this weight–the weight of glory (not to steal from Mr. Lewis)–and it is heavier than anything. But it is this weight that grounds me, excites me, draws me nearer to the ultimate glory. I fall in love all over again when God’s weightiness–His glory, His compassion, His overwhelming Grace–capture me and the curtain is torn asunder. I can only sit and worship. Imagine the whole of that glory! It is beyond comprehension.
Hi Michael! Your words resonate deeply. There is a certain paradox in the weight of glory, isn’t there? Heavy, yet lifting. Crushing, yet freeing. I love how you described being drawn in again and again by the sheer magnitude of God’s grace and presence. That image of falling in love all over again when the curtain is torn… wow. That’s what it’s all about. Grateful to walk in the wonder of it with fellow pilgrims like you.
Thank you for speaking truth into this heart today and confirming what Holy Spirit was already speaking to me.
Hi Rebekah 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to read and share your thoughts. I am glad it served as a confirmation of what Holy Spirit was speaking to you!