Introduction

Some troubles don’t feel light. And many certainly don’t feel momentary.

When we’re in the thick of hardship—whether it’s grief, financial stress, health challenges, or just a string of frustrating setbacks—it can feel like the weight will never lift. The words of the Apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians almost sound naïve—if not downright mocking—at first glance:

“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.” 

2 Corinthians 4:16-17 (NIV)

Paul must not have been through what I’ve dealt with in my life… at least that’s how it feels sometimes.

Really, Paul? Light and momentary?

But Paul isn’t dismissing our pain. He’s giving us perspective.

Perspective Matters

If we focus only on our struggles, they will seem unbearable. Heavy. Endless. That’s the nature of trouble—it fills the frame until it’s all we can see.

But if we widen our view—if we compare our present struggles with the endless joy and glory promised in heaven—then even the hardest trials begin to fade in comparison. It’s not that they stop hurting. It’s that they stop defining us.

Paul goes on to say:

“So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)

That’s the mindset shift that saves the day. The difference between being crushed under the weight of trouble and being sustained by the hope of eternity.

A Real-World Example

My daughter and son-in-law recently took their two very young sons—ages three and one—on an overseas flight to begin a Mediterranean cruise.

And almost everything that could go wrong, did.

Flights delayed. Missed connections. Re-bookings with scattered seats (a nightmare when traveling with toddlers). Entire days stuck in airports with two little boys. Finally reaching Italy—without their luggage. Boarding the wrong train.

It was chaos. Stressful. Exhausting. My daughter even told us at one point that she regretted going, that she had no idea how much of a nightmare it would be. And who could blame her?

But then—finally—they boarded their cruise ship. Their luggage turned up. Slowly, the stress began to dissipate. And now, just a few days into the cruise, they’re having the time of their lives.

When they were stuck in airports, wrangling toddlers, or realizing their luggage was missing, it certainly didn’t feel light or momentary. But looking back now, those struggles are already fading into the background of an amazing family adventure.

The Eternal Perspective

That’s a small picture of what Paul is saying in 2 Corinthians.

Life in this world is full of delays, detours, and disappointments. Some are small and temporary. Others are devastating and life-altering. But when we compare even the heaviest of them to the endless joy, peace, and glory of eternity with God and our friends and loved ones who are also followers of Christ, they become—miraculously—light and momentary.

Not because they don’t hurt. But because they can’t last.

Heaven will.

Final Thoughts

So when you feel weighed down by troubles that seem anything but light and momentary, remember Paul’s words. Shift your gaze. Fix your eyes on what is unseen.

Your troubles are real. But they are temporary.
God’s glory is also real—and it is eternal.

One day, when you step into His presence, you will see it clearly:

“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.”
—2 Corinthians 4:17 (NIV)