August was a difficult month for me in many ways, and it felt like they were too much for me to bear. Physically, I endured injuries and illnesses that limited what I could do during the last month of summer. I injured my left foot to the point it made it difficult to move, I could barely wobble.
While I was recovering from the injury, my weakened immune system allowed me to catch Covid-19 for the first time in my life, and that further limited my actions.
One of the biggest fears of mine and my doctor has been that COVID-19 could cause more damage to my brain or at least trigger another seizure, which I haven’t had in almost 2 decades. Due to my limited activity and subpar health, I felt stressed and depressed about life.
Most people know that I am a super active person who enjoys being outside and staying mobile. Last month, I was only able to get one bike ride in for the entire last month this summer. I didn’t get to take road trips I had planned and hoped for, or accomplish a lot of the tasks I was hoping to get completed over the summer.
While I was at my lowest point, Satan began tempting and testing me spiritually. I even became bitter with God a few times. My only respite has been the quiet time outside with God. I have been able to enjoy being drawn closer to God through nature.
Nearly a month post-injury/Covid, I still cannot smell or taste, and my injury isn’t completely healed, and I am a little mad at today. It’s seasons in life like this that I cling to a common encouragement that I receive from my mentor, “This too shall pass (John 9:4, Galatians 6:9, 2 Timothy 2:3; 12, Hebrews 12:7, James 1:2-4; 4:14).
In case you haven’t realized by now, we live in a very temporary and fickle world. Everything this world has to offer, whether it’s good or bad, is temporary. The pleasures and joys of this temporary kingdom only last for a moment.
Even our lives are but a mist in the scope of eternity (James 4:14). People are born and die every minute of every day. That is why the wisest man to ever live revealed that chasing happiness and pleasure is meaningless (Ecclesiastes 2:1-21).
Everything this world has to offer us will pass away with it and the heavens one day (Isaiah 65:17, Matthew 5:18, Revelation 21:1). The Bible is clear the pleasures of this life are temporary. That is why I don’t understand why so many Christians are consumed with temporary happiness and earthly greatness; they will mean nothing in Heaven. They have built their homes in the sand instead of on the Rock.
The Bible encourages those who suffer in this temporary kingdom will experience great joy in the life to come (Matthew 5:10-12, James 1:12). What encourages me the most is that these trials and times of pain are only temporary in comparison to eternity (Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 4:17-18).
Too many believers have become distracted by the temporary pleasures of this fallen kingdom; they have forgotten that earthly greatness equates to heavenly meekness and vice versa (Matthew 19:30; 20:16; 23:11-12, Mark 10:31, Luke 13:30). Many are believing Satan for happiness instead of God for holiness; they are in a freefall.
JESUS gave us the example to follow: true greatness is meekness and servanthood (Matthew 5:5; 18:4, Philippians 2:5-8). The kings and idols of this fallen kingdom have deceived many believers into pursuing earthly greatness and temporary garbage!
God’s people have so much to look forward to in heaven when God’s people are raised with Christ. There will be no more pain or suffering, God Himself will wipe our tears away, and we will never have to face death again (Isaiah 25:8, Revelation 7:16-17; 21:4).
For people with disabilities like me, most of us are looking forward to our new whole and glorified bodies (1 Corinthians 15:42-44, Philippians 3:21, 1 John 3:2). That is why I am so grateful that my current pain and suffering and this disability I live with are temporary, I see the light at the end of the tunnel called Earth.
Everything about this fallen world is temporary, from pain and suffering to pleasure and earthly greatness. Loss and heartache are temporary and don’t last forever. I know that with time, my injury will heal and my sense of smell and taste will return.
Stressing and worrying about them will not help anything, but have only made me more depressed (Matthew 6:25-34, 1 Peter 5:7). Living with a disability for the past 28 years has taught me the value of endurance and contentment (Romans 8:28, Philippians 4:6-7)
If you are struggling now, you can rejoice in knowing that the pain is temporary and will eventually pass. We can take hope that God is with us in these temporary storms (John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 1:2-4, 1 Peter 1:7).
Whether we are suffering now or not, Jesus and the New Testament writers encourage us to fix our eyes on things above and store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, not here on earth, where things will be destroyed (Matthew 6:19-20, Colossians 3:1-7).
If you’ve ever watched someone waste away from disease or illness, you understand how short and temporary this life is. I don’t know anyone who has died who has taken one cent with them after they left this life.
I don’t know anyone who takes their toys and cars with them to the grave. We don’t even get to take our clothes we are buried in with us to heaven. Both our clothes and body waste away in the grave.
It is in heaven we experience our best life and glorified bodies for eternity (Matthew 25:34, Romans 8:18, 2 Corinthians 5:1-2, Philippians 3:20-21, Revelation 21:1-4).
Personally, I believe it is impossible to comprehend the magnitude of eternity from a human standpoint. We are fleshy and finite beings with limited understanding and perspective. History up until this point in time does not compare to the eternity God’s people spend in heaven with Him as we look upon the Lord (John 5:14; 17:3, Revelation 14:13).
All this corrupt world has to offer us is temporary happiness and pleasure. The Bible is clear these things will all pass away, that is why God’s people should not love earthly things (James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-17).
God’s people must pursue the things of God and tell no lie, instead of loving the things of this world because this too shall pass (Matthew 24:35)!
