“I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.” (Romans 8:18)

Brian Regan had a comedy skit where he poked fun at the know-it-alls, and been there done that people in a conversation. The punch line of the skit revolved around the idea that you should never tell a story about having two wisdom teeth pulled out. Why? Because the four wisdom teeth people will swoop in out of nowhere saying things like “you had two teeth pulled, that’s nothing, when I had all four wisdom teeth pulled…” It’s actually a hilarious skit and I did it no justice in my above description. But I think we all know the type that Mr. Regan was talking about. No matter how good your success or how bad your fall was, the know-it-all will always try to outdo you story. But the reality is that things like pain and suffering are relative. Meaning, what one person thinks is the most awful circumstance might just be normal living conditions for someone else. After church this past Sunday, I was talking to someone who has seen an altogether different world while on a missionary trip. Places where food and water are more valuable than anything else, because they currently have neither. The Apostle Paul also knew very well the idea of suffering. He took long hard journeys, was ship wrecked, and beaten nearly to death. He endured these things all to promote the word of God and his faith in Jesus Christ to all that would hear him. Paul understood that he was able to do these things because of the light of the world shinning within him. He knew that Christ Jesus lived in his heart, and at the time of God’s choosing, the light within will be seen by all as Jesus enters the scene of His second coming. This glory, seen by all, will outshine and “outdo” any suffering that has ever been experienced. God’s glory will be seen, and nothing will ever compare or outdo it.