WHATEVER be the kind of tribulation with which we are afflicted, we should always consider the end of it to be, that we may be trained to despise the present, and thereby stimulated to aspire to the future life. For in the wisdom of God, He knows the strong inclination of our hearts to cling to this world with a slavish love. To prevent us from being ensnared and attached to it, He graciously employs the most fitting means to awaken us from our spiritual slumber. Although we may claim to have a desire for heavenly immortality, our thoughts, desires, and actions often reveal our earthly preoccupations. Our minds are captivated by the allure of wealth, power, and honors, blinding us to the true purpose of our existence. Our hearts become entangled in the snares of avarice, ambition, and lust, preventing us from soaring above these worldly enticements. Our souls, captivated by the pleasures of the flesh, seek fulfillment and happiness solely on this earth. To cure us of this malady, the Lord, in His wisdom, exposes the vanity of this present life through the constant reminder of its miseries. He allows us to be assailed by conflicts, turmoil, and injustice, revealing the fleeting nature of worldly peace. He strips us of excessive wealth or restricts us to modest means, reminding us that earthly riches are transient and unsatisfying. He brings about periods of exile, scarcity, or calamity, teaching us the fragility of temporal blessings. He permits us to experience marital difficulties, the misconduct of our loved ones, or the anguish of loss, humbling us and redirecting our focus to eternal realities. And if in His mercy, He withholds these afflictions, He reminds us of our mortality and the brevity of earthly joys through diseases and dangers. It is through the discipline of the cross that we find true wisdom when we acknowledge that this life, when examined in itself, is restless, troubled, and filled with countless sorrows, devoid of genuine happiness. Its supposed blessings are but fleeting illusions, tainted by a mixture of evanescent joys and persistent evils. Hence, we understand that our purpose here is not to seek comfort or security but to engage a spiritual contest, fixating our gaze upon the heavenly crown. Only when we have learned to despise the fleeting pleasures of this world can our hearts sincerely desire and aspire to the eternal joys of the future.
John Calvin. On the Christian Life.
