Momentary Troubles

Bible Reading: Habakkuk 3:19; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Joey’s legs were getting tired after an hour of hiking. Mr. and Mrs. Brandt had taken all the kids in their Sunday school class to a local state park to hike the waterfall trail.

Mr. Brandt had told the group that the view at the end of the trail was worth the effort to get there. Joey wasn’t so sure. The trail had started out flat and easy to walk on, but now they were climbing up a steep, rocky path that was easy to slip on if you weren’t careful. A couple of the kids complained of being hot and thirsty, so they stopped for a break.

Joey plopped down on a fallen log and took a long drink from his water bottle. “I don’t know if I can walk anymore,” he said. “The path is hard, and I’m tired. Maybe we should just turn around.” Some of the other kids nodded in agreement.

“Oh, but you’re forgetting the beautiful waterfall at the end of this trail!” said Mrs. Brandt. “You don’t want to give up yet.”

Mr. Brandt agreed. “This difficult part of the path is only a momentary trouble. It reminds me of what we’ve been learning in our class about the Christian life. We have no trouble following Jesus when life is going smoothly, but we’re tempted to give up when hard stuff happens. But the hard stuff is just temporary and doesn’t last, and Jesus promises to help us through it. He walks the path with us.”

Mrs. Brandt urged everyone to start hiking again. “If you stop looking at the rocky path and start looking ahead, you might be able to see the waterfall.”

One by one they saw the waterfall in the distance. “Wow!” exclaimed Joey. “It’s so tall and beautiful. Come on! Let’s get closer!”

They raced along the path until they were standing so close to the falls they could feel the cool spray on their faces. “This was definitely worth the hike!” said Joey.

“And following Jesus is worth it too, even in hard times,” Mr. Brandt said. “When we focus on His ultimate plan for our lives—eternal life with Him—and remember He’s always by our side, it makes our momentary troubles here on earth seem a little less daunting.” Kendra Angle

How About You?

Are you facing a steep, rocky path in your Christian life? Momentary troubles, like being teased, struggling with schoolwork, or not making the team, can be hard. When we focus on our problems, we can easily get discouraged. But when we focus on Jesus’ love for us and His promise of eternal life with Him, He fills us with hope for the future. Trust Him to walk you through momentary troubles.

Today’s Key Verse:
Hebrews 12:2 Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. (NIV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Fix your eyes on Jesus