ODJ: what can’t be seen

December 13, 2015 

READ: 2 Corinthians 4:14-18 

We fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen (v.18).

On a Thursday, my friends’ 10-year-old daughter was laughing and playing with her family and friends. The following Monday, she was in heaven. The lovely little girl was abruptly stricken with a rare form of malaria that took her life and left those of us who loved her in a state of shock. Particularly difficult was observing her parents’ raw grief as they said their final goodbyes to their daughter.

In view of their suffering, my friend Jody (who, along with her husband, Chip, were victims of a tragic accident that claimed their own young daughter Teagan 11 years ago) posted 2 Corinthians 4:18 on my Facebook wall: “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.”

Jody went on to share of her loss of Teagan with my grieving friends. “I used to wake up realizing the nightmare of our tragedy and start weeping each morning. Then I began to wake and realize that each day was one day closer to rejoicing with my Savior. Holding on to heaven helped to carry me through those long, dark days. I hope heaven shines in your hearts as you imagine [your own] sweet girl playing and dancing and making music in the presence of our God.”

Jody’s words give me added hope that even in the face of death and loss, my friends who recently lost their precious daughter (and each of us experiencing trials) can call on a merciful God who one day “will also raise us with Jesus” (v.14). Today, let’s choose to “fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen” (v.18). Let’s focus on our merciful Father and that which “will last forever”!

—Roxanne Robbins

365-day-plan: 2 Timothy 1:1-18