Afflicted in every way BUT not crushed.
Perplexed BUT not in despair.
Persecuted BUT not abandoned.
Struck down BUT not destroyed.
2 Corinthians 4: 8 + 9 says, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
No matter what happens God always gives us a coordinating conjunction & I think that is so beautiful.
Our sentence does not end in despair, abandonment, being destroyed, being crushed, or even death.
When we see our problems in life, we see them as independent clauses that are followed by a period. We see our current situation as all there is, our current trial as the end. BUT God sees it as just the beginning of the sentence followed by many many more beautiful words and conjunctions that add to our story.
What we see as the end, God sees as just the beginning of a beautiful + magnificent story.
And don’t worry when you think your story has ended and there is nothing left to write because you are not the one holding the pen.
When we write “I feel persecuted.” God picks up the pen and says “BUT not abandoned,”
When we write “I feel struck down.” God picks up the pen and says “BUT not destroyed,”
Thank God, we hold the pencil, but God holds the pen.
