Everything is temporary.
This thought invaded my mind last week.
I had paused long enough to think of how full our schedule had become. After a year of a mostly empty planner, overwhelm was trying to find a foothold. The truth that it’s all temporary settled me a bit. In a month, things will slow down again.
But on the flip-side, the truth of things being temporary can add to the unsettling. My husband has a new job – yay! – but, it’s temporary.
So I stood in my kitchen with this line on repeat: everything is temporary. Sometimes it’s a helpful perspective; honestly, sometimes it’s not. Regardless, it can be good to remember that all things here on earth, even the good things, aren’t eternal.
All things this side of heaven will pass away. God’s Spirit, and our spirit, will last – they’ll live forever. Everything else is temporary.
“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. 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.” – 2 Corinthians 4:16-18
What we see is temporary; it’s the unseen that’s eternal. In the midst of our light and momentary troubles, we focus on God. We don’t lose heart. We fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We don’t get caught up in the things that are seasonal; we put our trust in the One who endures forever.
“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne, saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” – Revelation 21:1-4
This old order is temporary. We’re living the old order right now, but it won’t always be like this. There’s a new heaven and a new earth coming.
Sometimes we need to be reminded that our citizenship is in heaven, not here on this earth. We are to eagerly await our Savior – Jesus (Philippians 3:20).
We can be tempted to give up because the temporary isn’t easy. We face death, mourning, crying, pain – but these things will pass away. They’re temporary.
Twice in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul writes “we do not lose heart.” The enemy would love for us to lose heart, to quit following God, to fixate on the seen and lose sight of Him.
We don’t lose heart because we have His mercy for this ministry. We don’t give up because we have His grace filling the gaps. We don’t weary our souls with fear because we have His confidence for His calling on our lives.
It won’t be like this forever. It will get better. Jesus is coming back for us. (And actually, it won’t just get better; it will be made all brand new.) Until His return, we have His Spirit living in us, comforting and encouraging us, leading us and speaking to us.
We are not alone – even if we feel alone. He is with us – surely, always – to the very end of this age (Matthew 28:20). To the very end of this old order, this temporary way – He is with us.
He’s our hope, our reason for enduring each season. He’s our anchor in the storms. Our light in the darkness. Our water in the desert. Our daily bread in famine. Our rock in uncertainty. Our peace in the fire. Our protector against the enemy. Our guide in the wilderness. Our safety in trouble. Our constant in trials. Our faithful friend.
Our eternal One through all the temporary.
This week’s song suggestions:
My Race to Run 