“Lord, yeah, the world may tilt off kilter tonight,

but it should have known better than to try to rattle the likes of us because we know that

though we’re broken, we’re not crushed,

though we’re battered, we’re never destroyed,

though we’re we’re not sure what to do, we absolutely know it like a burning inferno in our bones, that our God knows what to do,

though pressures keep coming from right & left, we can feel how God hasn’t left our side,

‘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.* These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us.’ 2Cor4MSG

And all the weary people smiled and said their brave Amen, the celebration beginning even right now.

#RealHonestPrayer#StrengtheningEachOtherWithPrayer” (Ann Voskamp).

I love that. All the hardships in this world are small potatoes compared to what’s coming. They’re all a light and momentary affliction compared to the eternal joy that awaits.

Right now, the small potatoes look a lot bigger. Like they’re all we can see. But when we shift our perspective from the immediate to the forever, then we see things in their proper place. Everything we’ve been stressing over will seem so small looking back. In fact, I’d guess that a year from now we won’t remember what was giving us so much anxiety in a lot of cases. We will remember that God was faithful.

And when we look ahead, we can even now see glimpses of the coming glory. The closer we get, the bigger it gets, and the more glorious God appears to our senses, failing as they are in one sense yet becoming sharper and clearer on the eternity side.

So remember that. Small potatoes versus eternal joy.