For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Romans 8:18)

It Is All About Perspective

Life is how a person views the reason they exist and what happens after death. Everything is measured by the reality of the brevity of life compared to the eternal expanse that all men will fill. Death is inevitable, and nothing man can do will change that. Life can be a harsh landscape to walk. With no choice in how a person comes into the world, choosing life courses is like walking through a vast minefield. It can be overwhelming. There are certain ideals everyone has in life, and few are attained. Suffering, tragedy, disease, and sorrow lurk beyond the horizon, often bursting on the scene without warning. Natural disasters destroy lives. Wars take the youth at too early of an age. Injustice pervades the streets with crime, murder, rape, and abuse. There is a lot of suffering in the world, and this can overwhelm the soul with despair.

God is not unaware of suffering. He created a world of perfection, desiring to dwell with men in harmony. It was the failure of humanity that brought so much suffering and despair. Jesus came to take away the world’s darkness, offering men the light of hope to live for greater glory. He did not take away suffering as it remains in every form, but the Son of God came to give men a means to live in a dark world of sin. Paul expressed that hope when he compared the suffering of this world to the glory revealed with the heavenly saints. Before Paul became a Christian, he lived a privileged life. After he became a Christian, his life was filled with suffering, yet he remained faithful to the cause of Christ. He understood the perspective of suffering in his life would not compare to the glory he would receive as a redeemed child of God. Paul told the saints in Corinth he had been beaten five times, left dead after stoning, suffered shipwreck, and faced dangers from rivers and robbers. The Jews tried to kill him. Paul knew hunger, thirst and often went without food. He was cold and did not have enough clothes to warm him. His perspective was those things were temporary, but glory was eternal. It all had to do with how he viewed his life.

Perspective is looking through the sorrows of life and seeing that God has prepared something much greater for His children. The world is filled with uncertainty. A pandemic of global proportions has changed the world. COVID-19 is a common yet dreaded word. There are few families (if any) that the tentacles of this virus have not impacted. Some have suffered death. The political world has created a world of fear and doubt. There is no unified spirit of patriotism with efforts to destroy law and order, teach ungodly doctrines that generate hatred and prejudice, disrespect for authority, road rage, and economic ruin. Arguments over a mask are destroying the church. Immorality has taken the high road of acceptability with homosexuality, transgender allowances, and crisis in the identity of males and females. It is a dark world, but perspective is how the child of God navigates the dark roads of life. The glory promised by God is not here but there. Few generations have not had their times of trial and despair, but the joy of eternal life is where the heart should remain. There is no comparison to what is coming for the saved with the present world.

If you are unhappy, it may be you have the wrong perspective. Looking at this evil generation can bring despair and hopelessness to the soul. Watching the news every day will destroy happiness. Change the view. Have a godly perspective that glory is not found here but awaits the faithful in the world to come. That glory is indescribable, without words, and far beyond the darkness of this world. Knowing what good things are coming will help us all to walk in this dark vale of life and know God is still light and joy, and He will not forsake His children.