The Briefest of Moments

On a cool fall Saturday morning, I walk out onto my back porch, recline in my favorite rocking chair, and open my Bible. The text is Romans 8. I had left off my reading in the middle of the chapter, so I pick up with verse 18. I read the following words from the pen of the Apostle Paul: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us.” Though I have read and heard this verse before, it hits me differently today. I pause after reading these words, look over at the wind softly shaking the leaves from the trees, and reflect on what this truth means. 

No one is a stranger to suffering. We have all felt the sting of betrayal, the pain of loss, the abandon of loneliness, the shadow of shame, and the sourness of sin. That’s why these words are such a comfort. As I think about the suffering I have endured and the sufferings those I know and love are walking through right now, it is a joy to know and believe that they are not even worth comparing with the future that awaits those in Christ. 

This reminded me of a similar verse, also written by Paul, in 2 Corinthians 4. He recorded this: “For this light momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (v. 17). Think about this: according to God’s Word, in light of eternity, all of our afflictions are considered light and momentary. This means they are not heavy, not burdensome, and that they last only for a short time. 

It certainly doesn’t feel that way to us, however, and I do not mean to downplay your suffering. There is no doubt that the hurt you have felt throughout your life is real. Even Jesus wept and felt our agony when He walked this earth. 

What I believe these verses encourage us to do, however, is to keep an eternal perspective. We ought to remind ourselves of the joy of eternity, the hope of glory, and the fact that it does not even come close to comparing with our sufferings and afflictions. In 2 Corinthians 4, Paul continued by saying, “as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For…the things that are unseen are eternal.” 

When we are in the midst of despair, when the trial is overwhelming, and when we don’t know how to even take another single step, it is good to be reminded that we do not have to. We can simply cast our gaze to Heaven, where our risen Christ sits as Savior and King. He has secured our salvation and made a way for us to live with Him in glory forever. We cannot comprehend the magnificence of the glory we will one day walk in with Him; but until that day, we can trust in His Word, that in light of that glory, our sufferings are not comparable, they are light, and they last only for the briefest of moments.