The Graph of Faith and Life

UV 1352/10,000 The Graph of Faith and Life

For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2 Corinthians 4 v 17

Our troubles in this present time and lifetime, however big and heavy, are light, momentary and small in comparison with the eternal reward that awaits us in the hereafter, the crown of glory. We will exchange our mourning clothes for the raiment of salvation. Our lives itself will seem like only a night of wailing while laughter and joy comes in the morning. However big our troubles and tribulations are, God is much greater. The earth is a tiny speck in comparison with the biggest star. Similarly, our troubles though they are so painful and so close to our faces and so present in our thoughts are just a speck in comparison with God’s grace and glory.

The Lord allows troubles and afflictions not as it gives Him pleasure to see His children suffering but to bring about a change in perspective from the temporary and fading “temporal” to the unfading and permanent eternal. Only a change in perspective can bring about a change in priorities. Only a change in priorities can create a change in our attitudes and actions. He wants to change our perspective so that we cease to be managers working for an earthly reward but leaders with a vision working for an eternal reward.
The Lord turns our sorrows into joys, our sackcloth of grief into the joy of celebration in His presence. Satan throws many fiery darts to extinguish the flame of our faith but the Lord catches these darts and turns it into a cross of blessing in our lives. Without the experience of pain, no character is forged, faith is neither tested nor purified and strengthened. Sorrow deepens the etches of character and wisdom in our lives. The cross presents the perspective “graphically”. We are to live our lives on two planes- the horizontal beam of the cross represents X axis, the course of our lives, our experiences in flesh and blood, our human relationships and pursuits. All the negative experiences are to the left of the point of origin and all the positive experiences to the right of X, the point of origin. The X axis shows how we relate to people and problems. The Y axis shows our eternal journey. The X and Y points meet and intersect for us to be able to mark, map and plot our values. All the points below the point of origin are our attempts to draw back from the Lord, our spiritual failings and weaknesses, our doubts and fears, our withholding and backsliding from the Lord. All the points above X, the point of origin are our love for the Lord, our faith, our daily discipline of intake of the Word and relating to the Lord in prayer and in all our conversation and thoughts. All of our positive and negative experiences point to and both begin and end in X, a symbol for Christ. Our reward is guaranteed but the extent of reward is determined by the values we demonstrate in the X+Y+ sector of the graph. The Lord knows that we are not in control of what happens to us but He is watching how we react or respond to what happens to us. The X factor that drives us through and keeps us going whatever happens is faith, hope and grace.
Prateep V Philip