“This too shall pass.” 

This has always been one of my dad’s favorite sayings. It was something he liked to remind us when our favorite team lost, if we were feeling sick, or when one of our kids were going through the terrible twos. And he was right—in whatever struggle we were dealing with, eventually time would pass and its importance would diminish.

This adage dates back to ancient Persia, when a king asked a group of his wise men to make a ring that could help him feel better when he was sad. They came up with a ring engraved with the words “This too shall pass away” inside it, which did indeed help the king. The wise words have been passed down over time. President Lincoln even referred to the phrase in one of his speeches: “How much it expresses! How chastening in the hour of pride! How consoling in the depths of affliction!” (stoicquotes.com)

It’s true that the saying is profound no matter what we are going through. If we are battling despair, it reminds us to just hold on; nothing lasts forever and there is always hope for better days ahead. On the other hand, it reminds us that successes and accolades and sunny days won’t last forever either. The phases of life are temporal, and we must learn to hold on to our situations lightly.

It is often thought that the phrase “This too shall pass” is found in the pages of Scripture, but that is not the case. However, the wisdom of this phrase can help us as Christians in several ways. First of all, as we navigate the ups and downs of life, we can rely on the fact that God is immutable—He never changes. His love is constant and He is always faithful. “Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8) 

And God’s Word remains an absolute, unchangeable source of truth. “The grass withers and the flower fades but the word of our God will last forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) It’s amazing how certain passages have spoken to me in different ways at different times in my life, depending on what I am going through. The Bible is there for us to turn to in good times and in bad.

This phrase reminds us that we should not expect life to be perfect. Job reminds his wife, “Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” (Job 2:10) When things are going well, we must build our faith, preparing for the dark times which inevitably will come. When our faith is grounded in God, we can face hardships with courage and hope.

And lastly, “This too shall pass” helps us to keep our eyes on the eternal. Because for each one of us, someday life on this earth shall pass away. God has created us with souls that will last an eternity. When this earth passes, we have something much greater to look forward to.“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.” (2 Corinthians 4:17)

What are you going through today? Whatever it is, it too will pass. Hold fast to our faithful, unchangeable God, knowing that someday in eternity, we will experience everlasting joy!