Struck down, but not destroyed.
—2 Corinthians 4:9
Disappointment and despair can come at you with hurricane force.
If you’ve been through such a storm or are in one now, you know how overwhelming it can be. And even if today’s sky is clear, you’ve been around long enough to know that a storm may be in tomorrow’s forecast.
The names of your storms may look a lot like the apostle Paul’s: Troubled, Perplexed, Persecuted, Struck Down.
But Paul added some qualifying phrases that you can claim too:
- Troubled—but not crushed.
- Perplexed—but not driven to despair.
- Persecuted—but not forsaken.
- Struck down—but not destroyed.
(2 Cor 4:8–9).
What is seen as tragedy today may be
seen as triumph when ripened by time.