A Different Kind of Love StorySample

Plot Twist

Beaten and shipwrecked, Paul found himself in all sorts of disappointing positions. So when he wrote to his friends in the church at Corinth about how to handle tough circumstances, he wasn’t speaking as an outsider or someone with an easy life. He was speaking as an expert. And the advice he gave can help you and me as we figure out what to do with some of life’s toughest situations.

Similarly, in the midst of my own shipwreck, I found myself saying statements like: My life is over. It’ll never get better. Now I’ll never be able to . . .

But in 2 Corinthians 4, Paul is saying that just because a situation stinks doesn’t mean it’s the end of the story. We’re pushed hard on all sides . . . but not beaten down. Perplexed (or confused) . . . but not in despair. Knocked down . . . but not destroyed.

In other words, our lives may experience a plot twist, but we don’t know the end of the story. During such a rough time, how could Paul say something like that? We find the clue in 2 Corinthians 4:18: “We don’t spend all our time looking at what we can see. Instead, we look at what we can’t see. That’s because what can be seen lasts only a short time. But what can’t be seen will last forever.”

Paul understood that there was always more to the situation than what he could see. And he chose to fix his eyes—and focus his mind—on the fact that God was at work, even when it didn’t feel like it. And that’s true for your situation too. Even when there’s trouble, you can trust Him. There’s a God who loves you, who is all-powerful, and who is up to something that you might not be able to see just yet. 

When you fix your mind on what is unseen, you can begin to experience the same thing that led Paul to write this letter—hope. And not just hope that things will get better but hope that even if things don’t ever go the way you want them to, you’ll be okay. Your story isn’t over and you can have hope that even when there’s trouble, God can be trusted to get you through to what comes next.

What do you know to be true about God? Where have you seen Him at work in your life?