Our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory (2 Cor 4:17)
Is it just me, or do the media people really revel in disasters of every kind? Do they really take delight in the discomfiture of anyone in authority who demonstrates by his/her actions that he/she is only human after all? And do they therefore seek out the slightest blip in someone’s CV to pour scorn on everything they try to do?
Sometimes it seems that no matter what a public person says or does, there are always multitudes of accusers queuing up to tear that person to shreds for daring to suggest he/she could be of service to the community. How many reputations, and lives, have been ruined by aggressive, vindictive journalism pouncing on that one unfortunate mistake in the name of ‘public interest’?
I’m sure many of those public servants identify only too well with David’s cries, where he feels surrounded by ‘strong bulls, roaring lions …. dogs …. a band of evil men’ (Ps 22:12-16)
What a difference in Paul’s dealing with a church member who went (seriously) astray: after having him excluded from the church for a time, Paul urges the church to ‘forgive and comfort him …. reaffirm your love for him’ (2 Cor 2:7-8).
In these difficult times there is plenty that could cause us concern, anxiety, worry. Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Who knows how the economy will get back on its feet? Who knows how the vast debt incurred by the Government to save jobs, pay bills, and generally stand in the gap for millions of people, will be repaid? Let’s be grateful to the people we elected to serve us in Government for tackling the huge and unexpected challenge of Covid19 and embracing the long hours of wrestling with a host of ‘unprecedented’ problems to lead the country through this crisis.
Paul experienced the most horrendous personal attacks, to the point of despairing of life. But he refused to lose heart. He was ‘hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed’. He clung to a long-term view that put all his problems, his ‘light, momentary troubles’ in their proper perspective – they were achieving ‘an eternal glory that far outweighs them all’. (2Cor 4:8-17)
What an amazing, positive attitude! As we persevere through the gradually easing lockdown, let’s ‘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’ (2Cor 4:18)
And let’s pray for our politicians, rather than persecute them.
