2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Hey, its Ally :) I was just reading my favorite verse (2 Corinthians 4:16-18) and was struck by how awesome it is and really wanted to show it with you guys.

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. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Those verses just totally describe my life.

Therefore we do not lose heart. I lose heart so much. I'll lose my relationship with Christ, and then everything just caves in after it. I think that our relationship will never be how it was and it kills me. But, after this summer at Quest, I've decided to never let that happen again. I won't let myself lose heart. Because I've made that choice to never let go of God, my relationship with him is stronger than it ever has been.

Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. We're dying. Everyone knows that from the day you are born, you are dying. It just happens and its a part of life but with Jesus, we will never die completely. Our earthly body is dying, but our soul, our hearts, our inward self is being born again every day. That just blows my mind. Its amazing how to God we are as innocent and perfect as newborn babies now that we are living in Christ.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. Everyday, we stress out about things that matter to us. School, drama with friends, and (more recently) who is asking who to homecoming, are such huge aspects of our lives. But in the long run, things like whether you had all the friends or were the smartest kid in your grade don't matter. God really doesn't care whether or not you are going with someone to Prom or Homecoming, He doesn't care how smart you are, and He definitely doesn't care how attractive you are. He loves you so much its incredible and impossible to fully understand. Everyday, when we decide not to gossip about a friend, or cheat on a test, or drink or anything like that, we are securing for ourselves eternal life in the kingdom of our most heavenly father.

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is unseen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. This is the verse that resonates with me the most. So often I find myself thinking more about earthly matters than I do about the Lord. And when I do this, when I fix my eyes on what is seen and am not aiming to bring glory to God in everything I do, I find my positive and happy attitude slipping away. It's truly incredible how much of an influence Scripture can have on your outlook on life. When I begin my day with spending time with the Lord, I find my day going so much better, because I literally think to myself "What would Jesus do?" or "Would God be proud of me if I did this?" You would think that all Christians would try to focus more on God and less on earthly matters but that's hardly the case. And of course, we all slip up often. I know I do. I slip up so very often and every time, my conscience just tears me to pieces and I beg God for forgiveness. He does forgive me, every time I ask because He knows that that mistake was very temporary, but my choice to follow Christ is eternal.

Thanks so much for reading everyone,

Ally