From time to time I have taken the liberty of using a compilation of different Bibles to create the most meaningful version of a favorite Bible tract. Here is what I put together for 2 Corinthians 4:16-18:
So, we never become discouraged, we have no reason to despair, we do not lose heart, and we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our inner strength in the Lord is renewed day after day. You see, the short-lived pains of this life are getting us ready for an eternal glory that vastly outweighs them all! So we do not look at what we can see right now, the troubles all around us, but we look forward to the joys in heaven which we have not yet seen. The troubles will soon be over, but the joys to come will last forever. (Compilation from New International Version, The Voice, Good News Translation, New Living Translation, Living Bible, and Contemporary English Version)
This is a radically different way of looking at the darkest times of our health journey, because we are keeping our eyes on the light from above instead of the darkness that surrounds us. As Paul said: “Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace.” (The Message). We’re not focused on the better days that lie ahead for us on this earth if we get healed of our disease; we’re concentrating on the very best days that lie ahead for all of us when the temporary finally gives way to the permanent, when the immanent is replaced with the transcendent in our heavenly home.
I refer to myself as a realistic optimist—someone who doesn’t deny the reality of my current situation, but who chooses to believe that God can and will bring good out of even the most dire circumstances (Romans 8:28). Focusing on God’s goodness allows us to levitate above our problems by drilling down into His Word which reveals His plan for our lives. The deeper I go into an understanding of His love for me, the more I self-identify with my immortal destiny instead of my mortal condition of being a cancer patient. I am a child of the King, whose inheritance is sure and absolute, not the victim of an evil and incurable disease.
