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Sometimes it is too
easy to lose heart. When we look at the news from around the world, the violence,
hatred, manipulation of nations, it is hard to keep hope alive that this world
will become heaven on earth. There is
still a way to go!
It is easy to lose heart when the things we have worked for
and poured our hearts into are seemingly coming to nothing, when relationships
break down, and health problems persist. Our hearts can even sink when our
broadband is not as wide as we would like it or our waistband is wider than
we’d like it!
Lately I have been thinking about 2 Corinthians 4:16-18.
“Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our
inner man is being renewed day by day. For this momentary, light affliction is
producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we
look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen;
for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen
are eternal.”
Losing heart is not a good thing! It is such a dulling
sensation of hopelessness. It has such wide ranging effects on those around us
and robs us not only of the joy of who we are as beloved children of God, but
also diverts us from the productivity of an abundant life. Losing heart tends
us towards dryness and barrenness with
little overflow to bless the world.
It would be helpful to find the keys to “not losing heart”! Looking
at the verse above there seems to be a clue. “Look not at the things which are
seen, but at the things which are not seen.” Discouragements and
disappointments, though very real, are not the whole picture. There is an
“eternal weight of glory” being given to us!
Now choosing to look at the good things which are seen can be
very encouraging and life-giving. We can receive a lot of inspiration from
walking in nature (the seaside is good for me), watching children play, eating
good food and watching You Tube clips of puppies! Hearing what the Lord is
doing around the world lifts my heart: the news of our missionaries both home and
away, the stories of sacrificial love and laughter that is present even in the darkest
of situations. These restore my hope in goodness.
So how do we look at the things which are unseen? We shift
our focus. I love the verse about prayer in Matt 6:6: “When you pray, go into
your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” God is unseen to us
and yet we are not unseen to Him! So a key is to look at our Father who
understands and desires to reward.
What is another key? We “fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and
perfecter of faith. Who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning
its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him
who endured such opposition from sinners, so
that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:2-3 )
And to complete the trinity… we fill our hearts and minds with
the Holy Spirit. “Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in
believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
(Romans 15:13)
There is a lot more going on in this world than we can see. As
we live from the unseen, looking at God as Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, then
we will not lose heart for our world but be filled with hope, and keep on
loving the ones we do see.
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