“If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV
I don’t remember the exact setting when I first heard the song. But that song changed my perspective on life.
It was one of the most difficult seasons of our lives. Depression was oppressing our home. I was struggling to help Tom through it, keep our kids cared for, and not break under the weight. It seemed like this was going to last the rest of my life. It was an effort just to get through each day. Maybe you’ve been through a season like that. When you are in it, it’s hard to see your way through it. All you know is that it wasn’t supposed to be like this.
The verses of the song described that kind of feeling and the singer’s voice conveyed the pain of it all. Then she began to sing the chorus.
It’s gonna be worth it. It’s gonna be worth it. It’s gonna be worth it all.
Hearing those words reminded me that, as hard as that season was, it wouldn’t last forever. It felt like forever while I was in it. But the song reminded me that forever is more than this life. This life is not all there is. In the end, my faith will bring me home to Jesus. That reminder lifted me above the situation. Even though it was dark, I knew there was a light I could not yet see.
Have you ever visited a sunken forest? I had that opportunity years ago. It was a unique experience. It was a clear, bright day as we descended into the trees by a wooden staircase. At the bottom of the stairs, we stepped onto the forest path. The path led us through the trees. It was dark. But I knew that, although the leaves obscured the sun, it still shone above the trees. When we climbed up the stairs at the end of the path and out of the sunken forest, we re-emerged into the bright sunlight.
Your hardest season is like a sunken forest. The sun may be obscured, but it is still shining. You will reach the end of the dark path and come back into the light. Your journey in the dark is a small piece of the bigger picture. It’s gonna be worth it.
Your life is more than what you are living right now. Above the dark, the light still shines, regardless of what you are walking through. It is gonna be worth it.
Heaven may seem far away. Because we can only imagine it, heaven may seem like a dream. But if our hope in Christ is only about helping us through this life, then we miss the point. Jesus’ death and resurrection are about so much more than a better life on earth. It was about restoring our eternal relationship with the God who was and is and IS TO COME.
You and I have a future beyond our earthly life. It’s hard to imagine, but it is real. Above the current darkness, the light continues to shine brightly. Someday we will walk up the stairs and into the glorious light. And every season of darkness will be worth the struggle.
It’s gonna be worth it all.
Key Question: How does keeping an eternal perspective help in hard seasons?
A Scripture to Consider: “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.” 1 Corinthians 15:19 NIV
A YES Challenge: Take a walk in the woods near you as a reminder that the sun still shines above the trees.
Prayer: Dear Lord, it’s easy to become overwhelmed in the dark when life is hard. Help me to remember that someday it’s going to be worth it. Help me to keep an eternal perspective and believe that this life is not all there is. Someday I will be with You, and all of this will be worth the struggle. Amen
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