Down or Up?

Discussions in Davos, amongst the rich & famous, may not be very different from what happens in pubs up & down thee land. 'Things may be looking bad, but maybe things will get better', is possibly how many feel. Others will be much more gloomy. Are things going down or up?
As we look to the future, none of knows for sure how the details will work out. That is worrying for many, who are used to being in control.
Does being a Christian affect how we face the future?
It certainly made a difference for St. Paul.
In writing to his awkward friends in Corinth, he tells them of the troubles he has faced. 'We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed.' (2 Corinthians 4.8-9)
His troubles were not economic, but much more basic - physical attacks, imprisonment and relentless opposition from people inside and outside the Christian community.
Paul had many reasons to be hopeless and gloomy. But he is ever hopeful, because he knows that Jesus can be trusted. His conclusion is startling. 'That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.' (2 Corinthians 4.16-18)
It is clear from this that our degree of hope is determined by the direction of our gaze. If we spend our time looking at the troubles, we will be hopeless! But if we fix our gaze on Jesus, and his victorious love for us, then we will never give up, looking at what really matters.
What a lesson for us all. Which way will you look today - down or up?
Best wishes,
Richard