“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, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NIV).
Recently the Lord reminded me of a past time when I experienced deep renewal in an unexpected place:
I sat on the couch facing the glass double doors that looked out onto the sea. I was grateful for friends who picked me up at the airport the day before with all of my favorite snacks and to quickly grab my luggage as my back had given out.
Before arriving to this vacation destination, I was finishing preparations for travel when a sudden move caused a sheer pain in my lower back. I couldn’t move much at all.
Lord, how will I even make it out of this hotel room, let alone through an airport and on a plane?
With each cry for help, whether with an in-person ask or an urgent text message, the Lord provided who I needed in that moment. I made it all the way there — vacation with friends on the sea, and yet, the most comfortable place for me was on the couch. This was disappointing. And yet, I was so weary that all I could do was sit and watch the ocean from that spot.
As I cared for my back, it seemed that this place of being was the place where the Lord desired to renew me.
I can’t even adequately describe how I was renewed, but there was something about the stillness, the honest release of every place in my body where I held stress, and the ways He would gently lead me to deep truth, that felt like a resuscitation to my heart.
It’s like He was saying to me in those moments, Krishana, don’t lose heart. I’m here with you. Rest in My love.
Often, I feel more drawn to the “wasting away” than to the “transformed” and “being renewed” portions of 2 Corinthians 4. The “wasting away” feels likes the reality.
Lord, help me to recognize those unexpected places where You are renewing me. Where You give me moments of BE-ing in the middle of stress, exhaustion, and weariness. Help me to see this greater reality of renewal that You promise. I pray that I can see this reality here on earth as it is in heaven.
Reflect:
“And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart” (2 Corinthians 3:18-4:1 NIV).
How do you hold stress? Ask the Lord to reveal where and how to respond and release to this stress.
When in your story have you experienced renewal in an unexpected place?
Find a spot where you can “be.” Invite the Lord into a conversation about this experience. What’s difficult? What’s refreshing?