“So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NLT)
I’ve worn glasses since first grade. I’ve always needed help to see in the natural, and maybe that’s why this verse connects so deeply with me. Paul is telling us that we need spiritual glasses—eternal glasses—to see past today’s problems into what truly lasts.
In verse 17, he calls our troubles “small and momentary” compared to the eternal glory they produce. That’s not easy to accept in the moment, but it’s true. These sufferings, verse 15 says, cause God’s grace to spread to more and more people, so He receives more glory. Our pain becomes someone else’s window to see God at work.
Earlier in the chapter, Paul explains that unbelievers can’t see the light of the Good News because Satan has blinded them. But when we endure trouble with faith, God’s light shines through us. Verses 8–10 remind us that though we are pressed, perplexed, hunted down, and knocked down—we are never crushed, abandoned, or destroyed. Why? Because the life of Jesus is revealed through our weakness, and as verse 12 says, others receive eternal life through it.
That’s why we must put on our eternal glasses. Troubles are real, but they are not final. Fixing our eyes on Jesus keeps us from being consumed by what we can see. 1 Peter 5:7 tells us to give all our worries to God, because He cares for us. When we do, our small troubles fade in light of His eternal glory. And that glory spreads thanksgiving as more and more people receive the Good News and honor Him.