Short Answer
Physical suffering, like losing vision, is deeply painful—but it does not define your purpose. While the body weakens, God is working to strengthen your inner life and prepare something far greater for eternity.
The Overview
Struggles with health—especially something as life-altering as losing vision—can bring fear, anxiety, and discouragement. The Bible acknowledges this reality: our physical bodies are gradually weakening over time. This is part of living in a broken world. However, Scripture also teaches that while the “outer self” declines, the “inner self” can grow stronger day by day.
This perspective shifts how we understand suffering. Instead of seeing it as meaningless loss, it is described as something that prepares us for “an eternal weight of glory.” In other words, present hardships are temporary, but they are shaping something far greater that will last forever. What we experience now—even painful limitations—has purpose in God’s plan.
Suffering can also become a platform for ministry. Limitations do not end usefulness—they often redirect it. New opportunities can arise to encourage others, especially those facing similar struggles. What feels like a loss in one area can become a powerful way to impact lives in another.
Ultimately, the focus shifts from what is seen to what is unseen. Physical sight may fade, but spiritual vision becomes more important. The hope of eternity, the promises of God, and the future glory outweigh present pain. Fixing your heart on these truths provides strength to endure and continue living with purpose.
Key Takeaways
- Physical Decline Is Real
The body weakens over time in a fallen world. - Inner Strength Can Grow
Spiritual life can deepen even in suffering. - Suffering Has Purpose
It prepares for eternal glory. - Limitations Can Redirect Ministry
New opportunities arise through hardship. - Focus on the Eternal
What is unseen matters more than what is seen. - Hope Sustains You
God’s promises give strength through trials.
Transcript
[00:00:00 – 00:01:19] Let’s go to Angel. >> Angel, you’re on the air with Mike Fabar. How can I help? >> Yes. Hi, good afternoon, brother. >> Hello. >> Um, I am struggling with some issues regarding my vision. I was born half blind and now at my tender age of well, midlife, vision in my good eye starting to deteriorate and it’s affecting my ministry, my business, my home life in general. Um, I’m struggling pushing back against the anxiety that this is causing and um kind of feel a little bit
[00:00:39 – 00:01:41] defeated and >> it’s it is it is difficult. Yes. To push back against this. Wanted to wanted to know your thoughts. >> Yeah. Well, I feel that all the time and I mean it. I really do. uh you know I’m the age things are starting to break down in my life and especially all the cartilage between all my joints and I’m in a lot of pain every day [snorts] and I realized the truth of what Paul said in second Corinthians 4 and that is that our outer self our bodies are wasting away but what was great about the
[00:01:10 – 00:02:01] Apostle Paul is he said our inner self is being renewed day by day that’s the challenge it’s hard for our inner person right to be stronger more optimistic more fruitful when our outer man is giving us all kinds of trouble Right? And if you’re going blind, that can’t but affect your whole life. My mother-in-law is going blind right now, and it’s hard, right? She’s had a whole life of seeing, and now she’s losing her sight. She can’t read stuff. She can hardly see, can’t go outside at night.
[00:01:36 – 00:02:29] It’s just really rough. She’s losing her vision. And and here’s the thing. If I were losing my vision or you, Angel, you’re losing your vision. We’re going to have to lean in to what Paul said about being renewed. And the way he did it in verse 17, the very next verse after he says outer man’s decaying, inner man’s being renewed, he says, “Because this light momentary affliction, right, my chronic deteriorating arthritis and your vision problems, whatever it might be, is
[00:02:02 – 00:02:59] preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. As we look not to the things, pardon the pun here, that are seen, but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are unseen, right, they’re trans or the things rather that are seen are transient. They go away. But the things that are unseen are eternal. That reminds me of my favorite verse, which is Romans 8:18. I consider the sufferings of this present time, they’re not worth comparing to the glory that’s going to be revealed to us. So, whatever
[00:02:31 – 00:03:23] is happening in your body, right, whether it’s Paul’s thorn in his flesh or my arthritis or your blindness, I think of the blind man in John nine. The blindness was so that God could be glorified. And so God is going to be glorified as your outer man decays. In your case, your sight goes away. And Romans or 2 Corinthians 4:18 needs to become your theme verse because the things that matter are not the things you could see if you could see them. They’re the things that no one can see,
[00:02:57 – 00:03:58] but they’re real. The return of Christ coming on the clouds in glory. All of that is going to happen. And all of that is going to be what matters for you, Angel. So, I know it’s hard. I I hear that we’ve lost connection here, but I’m telling you, please do what the Lord Jesus Christ calls us to do. And that is to set our sights beyond the horizon of this life. As Colossians chapter 3 says, set our sights, our minds on things above, not on things of the earth. And that’s what can lead us to live in verse
[00:03:27 – 00:04:19] 16 of 2 Corinthians 4 by focusing on verses 17 and 18 of 2 Corinthians 4. We look beyond this life. We have to the problem with the Christian life. so often is people think it’s about the here and now. If my life can’t be better now, right? Then then what good is it, right? If I can’t have an outer man that’s that’s pumped up and healthy and feeling good and I’m ripped and I got my six-pack. If I can’t have that, then what good is it? Well, the Bible says it’s all going to decay. That’s what
[00:03:53 – 00:04:54] Genesis 3 said would happen. Our ears are going to stop hearing, our eyes are going to stop seeing, and our joints are going to stop moving painfree. That’s going to happen. But all of it is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. I will tell you this just to combine Angel if you’re still listening Jane’s call with your call Angel and and that is this that you can utilize this this this incumbrance of your sight the loss of your sight as as a leverage for what is going to be
[00:04:23 – 00:05:22] coming to you in the next life. And by that I’m saying look for ways that you can utilize your life even as a man losing his sight. It may in in it may interrupt your ministry in many ways, but look at the ministry. It may give you the open doors that it may give you. And I I hope you’re you’re familiar, and if not, you should be with Johnny Ericson. Tada, this quadripollegic who’s given her life to serve the Lord after a diving accident and she can’t move her four limbs. And and she is an amazing
[00:04:52 – 00:05:43] woman who has taken her disability and has used it as a platform to try and minister to people. I’ll bet there’s a school of the blind somewhere within driving distance of your house and you can have someone take you there and you can minister to those people as a as a someone who knows the truth of the gospel and you can lean in and help them all realize physical sight isn’t everything right what what matters is our spiritual sight because the things that we can’t see are eternal and we
[00:05:19 – 00:06:13] need to see them as Paul said to the Galatians we we can see Christ crucified before our eyes well of course that wasn’t talking about their physical eyes because the Galatian churches were many, many miles from Jerusalem, but they had been exposed to the truth of the gospel and their eyes saw it. And one day, our eyes are going to see Christ coming back. Please recognize this is going to open up opportunities for you. This [snorts] is such an important thing to look to the future. And the good thing
[00:05:46 – 00:06:41] about so many books today, good books, is that they’re put on audio. And and books I’ve written are put on audio. But one book that I would recommend is setting your sights on things beyond the horizon of this life [snorts] is is reading Randy Alorn’s book on heaven. It’s a classic. Maybe you’ve already read it. Read it again and and you can have it read to you, right? Christianio.com, I think it is. You just get it through Audible. Plenty of places you can get these these Audible books
[00:06:13 – 00:07:12] and uh put your headphones on and and and listen to where you and I are going. and and Randy does a great job in this book trying to make this very real and tangible to us because it is real and tangible and it’s coming and set your minds on those set your mind on those things. Get your heart there and then say like I said to Jane, get up and do something. Dictate a note. Do what you can to try and encourage and serve the people of God because one note to put it in in modern terms here, one note sent
[00:06:43 – 00:07:40] to someone because he’s a disciple, right? You’re not going to lose your reward. one cup of cold water, one one act of service, Christ is going to reward us. And I love the way it’s put there. 2 Corinthians 4:17, this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison. Something great is coming. The circumstances of suffering going to be replaced with God standing up, girding himself to serve us, which is an amazing thought.
