Staying Positive In The Midst of Difficulties

I've been in contact with Ken Medema's ministry in order to get some information for my second book.  If you aren't aware, Ken has been essentially blind from birth, only able to discern the silhouettes of objects.  Nevertheless, he has become a prolific Christian singer, pianist and composer in his lifetime in spite of his visual deficit.  He has recorded numerous albums and has ministered to many.

I sent Ken's publicist a copy of the chapter I'm writing which mentions how Ken demonstrates God's power in spite of his illness.  I subsequently was gently rebuked and came to understand that Ken doesn't see his blindness as an illness, but as a "character trait".  What a great attitude!  No wonder God has used him in a marvelous way.

You can learn more about his ministry at:

http://kenmedema.com/

The Apostle Paul also had a great attitude towards hardships in life.  He describes his experiences as follows:

"Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure." (II Corinthians 11:24-27 NASB)

How did he characterize these experiences overall? II Corinthians 4:17 gives us a clue in which he says, "For momentary, light affliction (italics mine) is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison." 

Did you catch that?  His sufferings for the sake of the Gospel were "light afflictions".  Is he kidding me?  The above list doesn't look "light" at all but extremely burdensome.  Yet, he kept his eye on the prize, the "eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison".  I guess some things in life really aren't that bad when you recognize the eternal purposes of God.  Our sufferings are, as Paul put it, "momentary".  Glad they won't last forever.