For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2Cor 4:17-18
Reality is not our enemy. Jesus lives in reality, and He encourages us to join Him. His Word tells us the truth about our life on earth, truth that is seen only with the eyes of faith. The difficulty with reality is that it is not seen with the physical eye alone. Darkness would have us see with only the physical eye, which results in darkness. Jesus would have us see with His eyes, to believe what He says, which allows us to see the unseen, and walk in the victory of faith.
Contrasts
In order to increase our understanding, the Scripture gives us contrasts; affliction with glory, seen with the unseen, temporary with eternal. We are always in danger of seeing only the temporary, the afflictions, and the visible. The Lord wants us to see the whole picture; contrasts allow us to effectively see the whole picture. In everybody's life there is a contrast to be apprehended. There is another side to your difficulty, a larger reality. Our lives are not only about problems, but our lives are about the eternal good that is being worked into us and for us.
Context
Related to contrast is context. The context of our life is formed by and found in the unseen. The Lord wants us to see life in the context of the unseen. Our eyes see physical reality, our faith sees the unseen. The Lord never denies the reality of suffering or the reality of difficulties we may face while in this life. But what He does is attempt to balance our thinking by showing us the unseen, how He sees life. The Lord says the difficulties of your life on earth are preparing for you and achieving for you an everlasting glory that surpasses all comparisons.
Wholeness
If we see only the visible, then we are not seeing as the Lord would have us see. To be spiritually whole we have to see the unseen, the reality in which we live.
Isaiah tells the eunuch to not say, I am a dry tree, and he tells the stranger that has joined himself to the people of God to not say, I am separated from my friends and family. Both the eunuch and the stranger see a visible reality, but the Lord tells them there is more than what they see. To the eunuch, the Lord says, in My house you will have an inheritance better than sons and daughters, for your inheritance will last forever and will not perish! To the stranger who joins himself to the Lord, the Lord says, I will bring you into my house and make you joyful, for I will accept your sacrifices and offerings, and you shall be joyful in My house of prayer.
How to see the unseen
We see the unseen through the Word of God. If we see only the visible, then we will not be able to walk with the Lord, for the just will live by faith. And Hebrews 11:6 tells us that without faith it is impossible to please the Lord. Our challenge is to join the Lord as He leads our life; we learn to see with the eyes of our Father by believing what He says. We do not see Him, or life, with physical eyes, but with eyes of faith we see Him, and with eyes of faith we believe what He says.
God bless you,
Jim