PUTTING THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE

I think she became the poster mom of the year.  Do you remember it?  During the Baltimore riots, a mom broke out from the crowd after recognizing her 16-year-old son as one of the rioters.  Ripping his hoodie and mask off, she proceeded to give him some love and discipline the old fashion way!  She smacked him around for a few times and told him to go home.

I think we could use a few more moms like that, don’t you?

What’s amazing is that all the newscasters around the country haled her as a hero.  And why is that so amazing? Because if she would have been caught on video hitting her son in that fashion on any other day, she would have been arrested.  The same news people who sung her praise would have been calling for her prosecution. 

It’s amazing what context will do.  Put that incident in the context of daily living and it means one thing.  Put it in the context of a riot and it means something entirely different.

Perspective is paramount.  When we interpret life’s events – especially hardships – we must put them in perspective.  We have to see the big picture.  Everything must be put in proper context.

I think this is what Paul means when he says in 2 Corinthians 4:17,  “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”

How does Paul have the right to call our affliction, “light?”  He doesn’t know what we’ve been through.  But I think he has the right to do so because he was a man familiar with affliction far beyond what most of us will ever have to bear.  He says this to the Corinthians:

“From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness (2 Corinthians 11:24-27).”

Paul calls our affliction “light” because he knew how to put things in perspective.  He knew how to compare the afflictions of this life with glories of eternity.  In that context, everything we endure can be called “light.”

I remember once watching a newscast about all the fish dying in a creek near Columbus, Ohio.  It sounded so tragic.  Sure enough, the camera showed a dead fish lying on the shore.  Just before they cut away from that shot, however, the camera panned back.  Lying beside the dead fish was a bottle cap.  For just an instant both the cap and the fish were in the frame.

What struck me was that the bottle cap was almost the same size as the fish.  Now that was either that was a HUGE bottle cap or that was a tiny fish.  The fact is, it was a tiny fish - a minnow!  One tiny minnow!  Yes, it was still dead – tragically.  But the whole story was blown out of proportion.  What they said were all these fish dying in the creek turned out to be a few minnows.

The truth was seen only when the bottle cap was revealed.  Seeing it put things in perspective.  That’s what peripheral objects do – they help us define the size and scope of certain events in our lives.  We must choose to redirect our gaze past our affliction and see the eternal things God has put into view.  We will never able to put life’s tough circumstances in Biblical perspective until we do.

Affliction will always appear much bigger and badder than it is until we put it in the context of eternity.

That’s how Paul calls our affliction light. 

In the context of eternity, everything we experience in life is light and temporary.  If we can do the same things as Paul, then we can see that those monstrous fish are really minnows, those painful slaps are actually saving us and what appears to be such impossible hardship is actually endurable.

The rest of what Paul says about affliction is this: “is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.”  That means that everything you and I go through has purpose!  Everything we go through is working on our behalf in order to fulfill God’s plan for our lives.  It reminds me of this great verse:  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).”

So let’s review.

In the context of a riot, a mother’s slap is appropriate.

In the context on a bottle cap, a fish is actually a minnow.

And…

In the context of Christ’s suffering, our affliction is light.

In the context of eternity, our affliction is temporary.

In the context of God’s plan, our suffering has meaning.

I hope this helps you today!  Thanks for reading it!