Imagine a line from <--- that end of the room to ---> that end of the room. And somewhere along that line is: . ^ that dot .. representing our time on earth, in view of eternity. God asks us to walk with him, perhaps with "light affliction" for a short sliver of time, trusting in his promises, in view of eternity - tasting the sweetness of forever. And even then, the light affliction has an amazing return on investment good for this lifetime ... reading Piper's Desiring God talks of the one common theme for most missionaries - in the end, they cannot at all consider it a sacrifice for God, because the rewards of joy and fullness faaaar outway any cost. That's really good investing.