PURPOSED AFFLICTION

Hey friends,

I was looking through some of my old poetry and found this one that I needed a reminder for.

The idea of finding purpose in the pressure, renewal in the wasting away, and glory that outweighs it all

Have you ever looked in the mirror, or at your circumstances, and thought, “This is wearing me down”?

·         The body feels it

·         The schedule feels it

·         The heart feels it.

Outwardly, it can look like everything is wasting away.

Paul knew that feeling. He was hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down… yet he refused to lose heart.

God never designed affliction to be pointless.

He purposes it.

He uses the pressure to renew the inner self day by day and to produce an eternal weight of glory that far outweighs anything we see right now.

I wrote this acrostic as a reminder of what that kind of purposed affliction looks like:

Check it out, plus a song to help us remember - It is all well.

[Thank you for checking them out, now back to the newsletter]

PURPOSED AFFLICTION

Perseverance in heart
Unwavering
Renewing inner self
Producing growth
Over and above all
Seeing not what’s now but
Eternal glory
Deliverance will come

Acknowledging
Faithfully I’ve been afflicted
For my growth
Lovingkindness is found
In You
Comforting
Testing and teaching
Incomparable the blessings
Oneness with You
Never to lose

~ Jennifer Leigh Nelson
2 Corinthians 4:16-18

[Thank you, now back to the newsletter]

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

Paul says it plainly: we do not lose heart.

Though the outer self is wasting away, the inner self is being renewed day by day.

Our light and momentary affliction is producing something, an eternal glory beyond comparison—while we fix our eyes not on what is seen (temporary) but on what is unseen (eternal).

The Blue Letter Bible helps us sit with the original language.

“Lose heart” (enkakeō) means to grow weary or give in.
“Renewed” (anakainoō) is passive, God is the One doing the daily making-new of the inner person.
“Affliction” (thlipsis) is pressure, the kind that squeezes but does not crush when the treasure is in jars of clay (see the whole of 2 Corinthians 4).

The early verses of the chapter set the scene:

Then comes the “therefore.”

Because of the resurrection hope and the overflow of grace, we do not lose heart.

Your affliction is not random.
It is being used.

Supporting Verses

2 Corinthians 4:16-18
“Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Romans 8:18
“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.”

James 1:2-4
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

Psalm 119:71
“It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees.”

• Name the pressure: Ask the Lord to show you one current affliction He is using for growth instead of just something to escape.
• Practice the gaze: When the seen things feel heavy, speak 2 Corinthians 4:18 out loud and look toward the unseen.
• Receive the renewal: Thank God specifically for one way He has been renewing your inner self even while the outer feels worn.
• Hold the comparison: Write Romans 8:18 somewhere you’ll see it and let the “not worth comparing” reset your perspective.

Listen to the song “It is Well (Call and Response version)”; a reminder that we can still say “it is well” when the affliction is real, and the purpose is still unfolding.

[Thank you, now back to the newsletter]

Grace shows up powerfully in the glitches—when the outer is wasting away and the inner is being made new anyway.

You are invited into a deep, sincere community on X in the Grace in the Glitch Hub: https://x.com/i/communities/2011085853125226668

If this encouraged you, reply and tell me:

Which line of the acrostic spoke loudest to your current season?

With love that does not lose heart,
Jennifer Leigh Nelson
Grace in the Glitch Hub on X
Buy me a coffee