Apologist Josh McDowell once remarked: “No matter how devastating our struggles, disappointments, and troubles are, they are only temporary.”1
The Bible tells us that an eternity of joy awaits all those who may have suffered greatly in this finite life if they have accepted Christ as their personal savior. Paul summed it up perfectly in (Romans 8:18): “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.” And this glory is what awaits us in heaven.
Even a person with a permanent debilitating disease like Muscular Dystrophy can obtain solace when he reflects on the realization that heaven will one day be his future home. It is important to understand that the reason heaven dwarfs even the most intense earthly suffering can be summed up in the following three words: reality, duration and intensity. First, heaven to the Christian is real and certain therefore we can have complete confidence that we will be there when we die. Second, the duration of our suffering on earth is only temporary where our suffer-free existence in heaven is eternal. And third, while our suffering definitely produces pain here on earth the intensity of our joy in heaven, in comparison, I believe will be off the charts. The great news for someone suffering with a permanent disease is that with heaven looming in their future this disease is only temporary!
We read these comforting words in (2 Corinthians 4:16-18): “Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
Many years ago, I read a devotion in Our Daily Bread about a man who had the perfect perspective on pain and suffering. He had a permanent disability. When asked how does he cope knowing that his situation will never get better. I will never forget his response. He said though my disease is permanent, it is only temporary.
My friends when life throws you a painful curveball, I pray you realize that even if it lasts for a lifetime it won’t last for an eternity. You see our lives on earth are training grounds for eternity. And often God uses pain and afflictions as His tools to mold us more into the image of Christ. The Bible never promises us a pain free life but it does tell us that the duration is only temporary. And once we hit the celestial shores of heaven we will see and understand that our pain was indeed but for a moment and will now be replaced by a permanent and eternal state of joy and bliss!
1 TOP 25 QUOTES BY JOSH MCDOWELL (of 84) | A-Z Quotes (azquotes.com)
Yes, at times like those it’s about blind faith