What Really Matters by Kristy Lohr

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting
away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light
and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far
outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on
what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is
eternal."

This passage leads us to dwell on and consider what is eternal
versus what is temporary. God is eternal. It is amazing to think
about and realize that the same God that raised Jesus from the grave,
recused Daniel from the lion's den, healed those who were sick, and
is active in our daily lives today.

We can not stop the aging process. Each day we are older than the
day before. Our outward earthly bodies are "wasting away." Our
physical body is one thing that is definitely temporary. We can use
all the creams, lotions, or facial cleaners on the shelves in Walmart
and still the wrinkles will come. Thus God is the only hope that we
have as Christians, because He is our access to the eternal reality
of Heaven. It is the promise of Heaven that we trust and believe in
that offers comfort in spite of our "momentary troubles."

There will always be some form of stress and conflict in our lives,
BUT by fixing our eyes on Christ and our walk with Him we are able to
see glimpses of God's perspective. Therefore, we are able to know
that the unseen - our relationship with God, personal character, and
integrity, etc. - are far more important than the stress of our daily
lives.

I encourage you to take a moment to write down the stress present in
your life right now and evaluate whether it is based on the eternal
or the temporary. May God and His eternal love cover you today and
open your eyes to His eternal work taking place around you.