No one enjoys hard times, but a great way to endure trials is to know something better is waiting. We can make it through a rough week at work knowing that the project is nearly finished. Athletes push through the pain of training because they know the benefits they will receive come game time. Soldiers endure the trials of boot camp, understanding that such training might save their lives in battle. Understanding what waits enables us to endure. Nowhere is this truer than spiritually.
First John 3:2 says, “Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.” We don’t know everything about eternity, but we know this—it will be perfect because we will be with the Lord. We know the faithful will be glorified and live forever with Christ. That knowledge is perhaps the most empowering and strengthening knowledge we could ever possess.