Momentary light afflictions

Apr 22

Two men sprinting towards the finish line of a race

My family has a beloved story about my grandfather’s reaction to my dad taking up running. It was the early 1980s when running was not as popular as it has become today. My grandparents had come to celebrate my dad’s completion of the Callaway Gardens Marathon. When the race was over, my grandfather, who knew nothing about marathons or those who ran them, asked my dad if he had won the race. My dad told him that he had not, nor had he expected to win. Now a little confused about why my father would give such effort and even pay the entry fee to run a race that he did not expect to win, my grandfather asked if he got anything for running? To this question, my dad held up the t-shirt given to the race participants and said, “I got a t-shirt.” Then, my grandfather turned to my grandmother with a smile and said, “I think we have raised a fool.” My grandfather enjoyed a good joke, and he spoke these words with a grin, but I have to believe that though he intended these words as a lighthearted ribbing, they did reveal his befuddlement as to why anyone would suffer through running 26.2 miles just for a t-shirt.

It seems foolish indeed to those watching. One of the more common remarks, made in jest by those who are not runners, is that runners look so unpleasant while running. They say our faces carry the expression of pain and our general demeanor communicates suffering. The question is then asked, why would anyone want to do something that makes you so miserable? Honestly, I did not have a good answer to this question for a long time. I enjoy running. I do not remember any moments of terrible suffering while running and thus could not give a good explanation as to why I looked so uncomfortable to those passing by while I ran. I have come to realize that the disconnect between the observers who register the suffering and runners who register the joy is not that either is mischaracterizing what is happening; rather, the observers are not observing the whole event.

The suffering involved in running is different for every runner. If you are new to running, suffering may come almost immediately as your muscles and heart struggle to keep up with the unfamiliar cardio demands that even a short distance produces. If you have been running a long time, there are still challenges like a faster pace, longer distance, or more intense hills that can create moments of suffering. When you are pushing through these challenges, it requires effort, determination, and even pain. I do not know any runner who would use the word suffering, but working through these challenges certainly creates discomfort and unpleasantness. There is no doubt that to the observer watching these efforts, the unpleasantness and difficulty are communicated on our faces and body language. But what motivates runners to push through such pain and suffering comes at the end of the run. The finish line transforms all the suffering required to arrive into joy. Therefore, to understand the pleasure of running, you cannot just observe the moments of suffering; you must also witness the joy of finishing.

After a race, runners stand around and talk about their run. If you listen, you will hear them recount their suffering. There will be tells of muscle cramps, foot pain, and fatigue that tempted them to quit. After long-distance races, some runners will talk about moments when they mentally hit a wall and struggled to keep going. As you listen, you will notice these narratives are not complaintive. The expressions of pain have dissipated and in their place are expressions of joy even as the moments of suffering are remembered. If any disappointment is expressed, it generally is over not suffering more. Runners may regret that they did not push harder or run through a difficult moment. The joy of the finish line diminishes the previous suffering and even produces a desire that more should have been given.

As Jesus spoke to His disciples about His impending death, they were justifiably concerned. He made it clear that they would experience suffering. He told them that they would weep, lament, and be sorrowful but that their sorrow would be turned into joy. He then used the example of a woman giving birth. Jesus said that there is sorrow in the pain and suffering of labor. However, when the baby is delivered, the anguish is forgotten “for joy that a human being has been born into the world.”

“So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.”

— 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, ESV

Paul speaks of this same relationship of present suffering giving way to joy in 2 Corinthians 4. He speaks of being afflicted, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down and then refers to these as “light momentary afflictions.” Like the observer watching a runner pass by with a look of suffering on their face, this language of “light momentary afflictions” must seem strange to the one who does not know Jesus. Is cancer a light affliction? Is the death of a spouse a light affliction? Are chronic illnesses or permanent disabilities light afflictions? Are depression and other mental illnesses light afflictions? The list of this world’s sufferings could go on indefinitely. Are these things light afflictions? The obvious answer seems to be no. Presently these are not experienced as light afflictions. But notice there is an essential word in Paul’s description of the sufferings of this world. These afflictions are momentary. The sufferings of this world are transient. They are difficult presently, but they will not last. And the eternal weight of glory that is to come to those who know Jesus makes these momentary afflictions light. The closer we draw near to the glory of the Lord, the lighter these afflictions become. And on that day when Jesus returns, I have confidence that these present momentary light afflictions that cause such suffering now will be consumed by the great joy of the glory of the Lord.

The joy of the finish line makes the sufferings of the race light. Like runners recounting a race, I am confident that the saints will recount the sufferings of this world with joy. Like a mother holding her newborn child, the afflictions of this world will be forgotten. This is why Scripture encourages us to press on, do not lose heart, take heart, and do not grow weary. These encouragements do not ignore the reality of the sufferings in this world, but they point us to the hope of salvation and eternity with God that makes all the sufferings of this world, no matter how great, light and transient.

My grandfather may have thought it foolish for runners to suffer so much for little more than a t-shirt. He may have a point. But for those who are fools for Christ, whatever we suffer at present will be well worth it for the glory to come.

Momentary light afflictions

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