Above ground

[Chrysostom]

You give thanks that you are above ground even with these light afflictions and Jesus by your side. This is the mark of a soul that sees clearly. You call them light, and rightly so, for they are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed. The Apostle too spoke of his affliction as light, not because the blows were few, but because he weighed them against an eternal weight of glory. While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, every trial becomes small. And what you say, that you are above ground, is no small thing: it means you are still in the contest, still able to gain crowns. For the departed have finished their course, but to you the door of reward stands open.

So do not merely give thanks; press forward. Tribulation works patience, and patience experience, and experience hope, and hope does not put to shame. The broad way of ease leads to destruction, but the narrow way of affliction leads to life. All the righteous have walked it: Paul, Peter, the whole cloud of witnesses. If we would arrive at the same city, we must journey along the same road. The schoolmaster of our souls is affliction. Without it we learn nothing useful; our passions are too great, our faults too many. So when it comes, bear it bravely. Do not draw it down willingly upon yourself, but receive it as a gift when God permits it. He scourges every son whom He receives. You are not better than the apostles, who passed all their life in hunger and thirst and nakedness. If they gained heaven, do you think to reach it by a softer path?

Remember this too: he who confesses thanks to God for what he suffers will never revenge himself on anyone. Ingratitude is the root of all bitterness. But you, by giving thanks in your afflictions, show that you are not touched in your inmost heart by the troubles around you. The world thinks you are changed, but the philosopher in Christ knows that the soul anchored in Him remains unshaken. So continue. Feed on the hope of things to come. Your light affliction is working for you a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. With Jesus at your side, you have already conquered. Walk on, and you shall attain eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

[Silas]

Giving thanks while still in the middle of affliction is no small thing. You have named the two realities that hold a believer steady: you are still here, and Jesus is with you.

The Scripture calls these light afflictions, but it never pretends they are easy. They are light only when they are weighed against the glory that is coming. They last but for a moment, even when a single hour seems to drag. That comparison is what allows a thankful heart to breathe. The outward frame is being worn down, but the inward man is being renewed day by day.

What you are counting on is more solid than the trouble. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, and He will make alive your mortal body. Jesus does not leave you to carry this alone. He is present even when He is not seen, and His presence does not depend on your feelings. His promise is to be with His people always, right to the close of the age. Whoever comes to Him, He will never cast out. So your gratitude is not a denial of the pain; it is the confession that Jesus beside you is the heavier reality.

Keep looking at the glory that is coming, not only at the weight of the moment. The moment is short; He is not. May the Lord strengthen the inward man and make His unseen presence known to you in ways that hold you steady. In Jesus' name, Amen.