Realism and Idealism

10And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. 11To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.
--1 Peter 5:10-11

Grace, eternal glory, restoration are all words of such magnitude that they often slip beyond our comprehension. The promises of our God are simply too great for us to grasp--like a diamond ring to a five year old. This verse unites the realist and the idealist. Life is hard. Life is full of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The cumulative burden of our worldly existence weighs heavily upon us all. We must not face life with fanciful and unrealistic dreams about what it has in store for us. There will be suffering and hardship. And yet ultimately we are called to eternal glory in Christ. To be honest, I have no idea what that means! I could explain it, but it would all be with theological jargon that sometimes fails to connect with the reality of daily existence. However deep and intangible may our inheritance of the riches of God's eternal glory be, in the meantime we are assured that the struggles of the day-to-day will not overcome us. Though they may once have, and sometimes still do, God will restore our brokenness and give us the strength to endure the present and laugh at the days to come. (Prov. 31)