Present-Age Problems

“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Romans 8:18

Ever had a day when everything, absolutely everything, went wrong? It happened to me just yesterday.

I was all ready to go to work and as I powered my wheelchair onto the mechanical lift of my van, I pressed the toggle switch to raise the lift and… nothing happened. It broke. My dear friend, who was standing by nicely dressed for work, had to hand-crank the lift with me on it. That was no easy feat.

That was the same day my corset snapped a fastener, two people canceled important appointments, my computer erased two pages of work, and, I broke a tooth. I went immediately to the dentist, only to suffer his accidentally cracking another tooth right next to the broken one.

Can you identify? The cost of living is sky-high. Interest rates are up. Washing machines don’t last as long as they used to. The mice are back in the garage. Parking is becoming a nightmare. Stress is a daily companion, and you feel like you’re holding the loose ends of your job together by your fingers and toes.

Well, listen to this twentieth-century prescription in Romans 8:18: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

Consider what Paul meant by “our present sufferings.” When he wrote those words, Christians weren’t facing cost-of-living increases, they were counting the cost of their lives. People were living under a cruel system that got its kicks from throwing believers to lions. Talk about stress!

Thank you, Lord, for giving me a “Romans 8:18″ perspective on my problems today. The struggles I face are not worth comparing to the trials of the early church – and I realize that my problems aren’t worthy to be compared with the glory that will one day be revealed in me. Thank you for this hope.