That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. 2 Corinthians 4:16
Some fish and mice have a secret tool that helps them survive in extreme conditions.
When drought hits sub-Saharan Africa, the freshwater lung fish burrows into the mud. It then coats itself in mucous which dries to a leathery body bag, saving it from total dehydration. Then there’s the European dormouse that can sleep up to 11 months of the year living on its own accumulated bodyfat.[1]
Who wouldn’t like to sleep for the next 11 months or until the world is a kinder, gentler place? Life’s harshness, conflict, suffering and need can leave us exhausted and wanting to give up.
You might be tempted to think that God doesn’t care. That’s not the message of the Bible. It gives us pictures of people who had hope, even though they were “pressed on every side by troubles, perplexed, hunted down, knocked down, suffering emotionally and physically and under constant danger of death (2 Corinthians 4:8-11).
Beyond hibernation or sleeping for 11 months, what hope is there? Paul, a follower of Jesus, wrote, “…we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day” (2 Corinthians 4:16). He and his friends were the ones who were suffering all those troubles. And yet, they talked of daily renewal, of troubles being small in comparison to what’s coming.
Writing to encourage all Jesus followers, Paul said, “We know that God, who raised our Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself” (2 Corinthians 4:14a). We know, Paul said. “God himself has prepared us for this and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit” (2 Corinthians 5:5).
Today, God offers daily renewal through relationship, this same hopeful knowing and the presence of His Holy Spirit to be with you.
[1] “Cicadas Draw Attention to Other Creatures That Go Dormant during Their Life Cycle.” NPR, NPR, 7 May 2024, www.npr.org/2024/05/07/1249550545/cicadas-draw-attention-to-other-creatures-that-go-dormant-during-their-life-cycl.
