Jars of Clay

Nearly every day I am reminded that this body is a jar clay…a fragile vessel. From hearing of another person that has been diagnosed with something hard, watching my mom bravely suffer with severe rheumatoid arthritis, to how my body just doesn’t feel quite as good as it used to…yeah, I’m reminded.

I have really wrestled with physical or bodily suffering this year. I mean, I know all the “right” answers when it comes to the topic of suffering. For example, “it makes you stronger, “ “it’s the consequence of living in a fallen world,” or “God never gives us more than we can bear.” Now don’t get me wrong, I believe all of those statements, but that doesn’t make it easy to swallow or watch.

I was comforted by 2 Corinthians 4:7-18, especially the following verses.

v. 7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay. – that treasure is THE GOSPEL, we have JESUS!! No matter what we go through each day, that is always a reason to rejoice!

v. 8 We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed but not abandoned; struck down but not destroyed. – this is a promise, one that I need to keep in front of me often and remind my loved ones of.

v.16-18 Therefore we do not lost 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. So we 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.
These verses are just loaded with good stuff!!

DAY BY DAY – grace for the moment. What a promise that we are being RENEWED INWARDLY each day.

 A couple of words really stick out to me here, fix, temporary, eternal.
FIX – this takes a conscience effort each day, to fix my eyes on the unseen, on Jesus
TEMPORARY—everything on earth is temporary, good health, bad health, good times, bad times and fixing my eyes on the seen things will throw me off.
ETERNAL—a word that’s hard to even comprehend, but I know that I and those that love Jesus will spend an eternity in perfect relationship with him and in perfect health and this life on earth is really just a blink of an eye in comparison.

I’m never going to be okay with watching people suffer because God has put it in my heart to long for more and I will continue to long for all to be made right until I go to be with Jesus or Jesus comes back.

I thank the Lord that we are never ever alone and that He does promise to bring beauty from ashes and good from bad.

I don’t know if you relate to these ramblings or not, but if you do, I hope you are encouraged and if you are the one actually suffering, I pray you are comforted and that the Lord gives you the grace you need to walk by faith and not by sight.