2 Corinthians 4:8-10 “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.”
These words from the apostle Paul’s pen could be echoed by millions of followers of Jesus in the world today. I’m sitting here typing away on my laptop with graphic pictures in front of me of mutilated bodies in yet another country where an aggressive Islamist agenda is being enacted. I lived there for a while in the 1990s with a remarkable pastor called Pierre. His house is currently overrun with fearful members of his congregation, his children are traumatised, and they don’t know who if any of them will survive.
Why do I tell you that? Because this morning I woke up and was tempted to feel sorry for myself. I remember when I wrote this devotional a few years back, that I had been sick for months with some undiagnosed tropical ailment, and I had had enough!
But knowing what Pierre is going through right now (and he might be dead by the time you read this, or he might be fine, but be assured that there are plenty of brother Pierres going through similarly grim trials right now around the world), how could I possibly slip into self-pitying mode? If in some small way I can relate to the above verses of being ‘perplexed, but not in despair, struck down but not destroyed’, that’s but a glimpse of what others are going through.
God doesn’t belittle our problems. They are real. He cares about them. But a healthy sense of perspective is an antidote to self-pity. I count my blessings every day – freedom to worship, support of loved ones, access to healthcare, clean water, food, education, the list goes on. How blessed I am! Thank you Lord.
Lord, help me to keep things in perspective and trust you with all my problems today. Amen!
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