I don’t know about you, but when I’m in the throes of anxiety or dealing with a crisis or just bogged down by the slog of everyday life, I can start to believe things will always be this way. My current feelings will always overwhelm me, my current predicament will always be impossible to overcome. But Scripture tells us that we’re like grass that withers and flowers that fade. Does this mean that our lives are inconsequential? No! This means that our troubles won’t last forever — but God’s Word and His goodness will remain.

Paul, a man well acquainted with hardship, described it like this: “For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17 NIV). When Paul was being flogged or freezing in prison, I can’t imagine those things felt either light or momentary. So was Paul downplaying his pain? Was he telling believers to slap on fake positivity? No. Paul was preaching from an eternal perspective. He was saying that no matter what you’re dealing with today — a cough that’s keeping you awake at night, a family member who isn’t emotionally available, a dream that’s been shattered — God is with you, working through you, and preparing something that is so much better for you.