Photo by Dmitry Grigoriev
“But resurrection is not just consolation — it is restoration. We get it all back — the love, the loved ones, the goods, the beauties of this life — but in new, unimaginable degrees of glory and joy and strength.”
As I pruned a tree last summer, a bee angrily darted from its hiding spot and drove its stinger into my nose. Although I iced it and took Benadryl, my cheeks and eyes continued to swell. I was afraid I would have an anaphylactic response. Fortunately, I didn’t. However, the allergic reaction left my face severely disfigured for almost a week and prompted my doctor to prescribe an Epi-Pen.
This was serious, but, relatively small in terms of the problems I’ve faced. The degree of our suffering varies, yet all traumas capture our attention and steal our peace. More severe trials consume our vitality, like a candle burning down to its last flicker. How can a person see beyond their distress?
Although the apostle Paul suffered from natural disasters, unjust imprisonment, beatings, and constant endangerment, he viewed these trials with an eternal perspective. His suffering seemed comparatively small in light of God’s magnificent glory ahead. He said, “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18 NIV)
God gave Paul unique insight which emboldened his faith to make such a claim. He visited heaven, encountered Jesus in blinding light on the road to Damascus, and received surpassingly great revelations from Jesus. Paul’s anticipation of future glory kept him moving toward his heavenly prize. He marched through suffering confident as a soldier certain of victory. To all of us living after him, his message resounds with hope, “Keep going, glory is ahead!”
Although our earthly lives may not get better this side of heaven, as followers of Jesus, we have hope for eternity with God. It may be difficult to imagine, but our trials now will seem comparatively small in heaven. It’s not that our suffering loses its significance, it’s that the goodness of God, in all its glory, will outweigh it a million times over. We will get healthy glorified bodies, like the resurrected Jesus, and live in a beautiful undefiled world. There will be no violence, hate, or crime. Our King will reign with justice and love, forever. His righteous glory will be revealed IN us. This is the glory that overshadows our pain.
From small wounds to terrible heartbreak, it will all be over.
Glory is coming.
For further study on the theme of suffering, see Walking with God Through Pain and Suffering by Timothy Keller