So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal.          2 Corinthians 4:16-18

In our lectionary this Sunday we will continue reading from the Apostle Paul’s second letter to the Christians in Corinth. Paul’s relationship with the Corinthians was imperfect; there were conflicts about money and behavior. New Christians in this Roman society were led astray into idolatry and immoral behavior. Paul’s work to reconcile these conflicts was empowered by his faithfulness in the promises of Christ. Because of his love for the Corinthians, their behavior broke his heart. Even so, he reminds them (likely preaching to himself as preachers often do) that all of these challenges are but momentary afflictions which prepare us for the eternal weight of glory to come.

Whatever may be happening in our lives at any given moment, is not the entirety of our lives. The urgency of any moment is held in balance by the times when things are going well. Learning to live in this tension is our lifelong practice. It is also an image of living in the tension between the already and the not yet, our earthly life and our heavenly life, the physical life and the spiritual life, what was and is and is to come. While this passage is often read at funerals because it makes these connections so well, Paul wrote it to a struggling community.

Communities and families struggle, and Paul’s words can be useful to us. The lost job, the broken relationship, the unexpected diagnosis, the overwhelming responsibility, the heartbreaking events happening in the world can seem like the worst of afflictions, can wear away our bodies and minds. And yet! And yet, we do not lose heart because of the promise of Christ, the promise of the eternal weight of glory beyond all measure. The things we can see are temporary.

Take some sabbath time this week to reflect on what’s going on in your life and in your heart. What feels like it’s wasting away? What is in need of some renewal? Can we entrust these momentary afflictions, these things we see, into God’s care? May we trust that God is at work, doing things we cannot yet see, renewing us day by day.