Oh, Well

[W]hat is seen is temporary,
but what is unseen is eternal.
   —2 Corinthians 4:18

Sarah Young, in her classic Jesus Calling, advises that when things don’t go as we had hoped, we should say, “Oh, well.”

“This simple discipline,” she wrote, “can protect you from being burdened with an accumulation of petty cares and frustrations.” She claims this practice can be life-changing because we will begin to realize that most of the things we worry about are not all that important and we’ll walk through our days with lighter steps.

Sarah thinks we squander too much energy on petty problems.

Paul would agree. Here’s how he put it: “These troubles and sufferings of ours are, after all, quite small and won’t last very long. . . . The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever” (2 Cor 4:17–18 TLB).

In five years, will this matter matter?

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