We do not lose heart.
—2 Corinthians 4:16
The reason behind Paul’s “We do not lose heart” was this: “our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Cor. 4:17).
That wasn’t a spurt of sing-and-be-happy drivel. Paul knew what it was to hurt: he had been imprisoned, flogged, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, hungry, thirsty, sleepy, and naked (2 Cor. 11:23-28).
Light and momentary aren’t the words we would choose to describe those troubles. But they are the ones Paul chose.
How come?
Well, he believed in an eternal glory that outweighed earthly pain—so his vision was laser focused: “we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Cor. 4:18).
The journey isn’t easy, but the
destination is breathtaking.