How do we respond to pain, suffering, and hardship?

If we evaluate everything in our lives from a Biblical frame-of-reference, becoming discouraged in the face of trials is ultimately a choice as a follower of Christ.

The Apostle Paul experienced more than his fair share of incredibly hard times, yet said this in 2 Corinthians 4:16-18, “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things which are invisible are everlasting and imperishable.”

So how we choose to evaluate and respond to the troubles we’re currently going through, is everything. I love the word achieving! None of the really hard and challenging times we go through are meaningless.

May we cling to the truth found in God’s Word, knowing that our suffering is achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs our misery.