So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16 (ESV)
The Unseen – The Making A Difference Series – Part 4
Go to PART 1 | PART 2 | PART 3 | PART 4 | PART 5
“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 2 Cor 4:16-18 (ESV).
It’s easy to file this scripture away under “heaven” in our brain without taking a longer look at it. I think more than talking about heaven, (what happens after we die), it's talking about what happens in the unseen, here in this life. For the Ancient Hebrews, Heaven was more the realm of God, the place where He dwells, rather than the place we go when we die. And to them, that “God realm” is right here amongst us, hidden beneath the surface of things, found in the unseen, in the eternal kingdom. (more on this another time.) Jesus wanted (wants) his followers to live in such a way that brought (brings) heaven to earth. Right here. Right now. And ongoing.
The problem is, our world is full of so much darkness that sometimes you have to look for the light to see it.
Many are only interested in the straight answer, the quick and easy explanation as to why this darkness exists and how we can bring more light. But by jumping to conclusions and making quick assessments of the problems in our world, we miss the real lesson: Heaven is here and is coming still, and its our spiritual vocation to both usher in its birth and nurture its growth.
If you're willing to peer into the darkness, look humanity with all of its glory and mess in the face, you’ll find that just about every situation is a puzzle leading us to a place where “heaven on earth” insight might be found.
Our interactions with others, the community around us, the idea of scarcity, the opportunities given to us; they're invitations to find a new way, to transform, to bring heaven to earth.
So if you face problems along the way, don’t quit. Don’t give up. Don’t look for the easy answer, the quick explanation. Live into the problems, stare them full in the face and look for the light. Hold the tension between heaven and earth with both hands: be the conduit between the two.
Richard Rohr wrote: “We hold the dark side of reality and the pain of the world until it transforms us, knowing that we are both complicit in the evil and can participate in wholeness and holiness. Once we can stand [in this space], neither directly fighting [it] nor denying and fleeing, we are in the place of grace out of which genuine newness can come. This is where creativity and new forms of life and healing emerge.”
It happens in the unseen, the eternal realm of the heart and spirit. Transformation rarely seems like itself until it has already taken place.
“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” 2 Cor 4:16 (MSG).
Go to Part 5 – Doing Good »
Written by Lizzy Milani
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