How blessed are the tried Christians afterwards. There's no calm as deep as the one following a storm. We all have felt joy in the clear sky after rain. Victorious celebrations belong to the soldier who has fought well.

After conquering the lion, we enjoy the honey. After the challenge of climbing Hill Difficulty, we rest in the shelter. After the Valley of Humiliation and battling Apollyon, the shining one appears with healing from the tree of life. Just like vessels leaving a silver line in the sea, our sorrows leave a trail of holy light "afterwards." It's the peace that follows the turmoil that once tormented our guilty souls. See, then, the true joy of a Christian! We receive the best things last, and therefore experience the hardest things first.

But even these hardships are "afterward" good, as harsh plowings lead to joyful harvests. Now, we gain riches through our losses, rise from our falls, find life in dying, and are filled by being emptied. If these struggles yield such peace in this life, imagine the joy "afterward" in heaven! If our dark nights are brighter than the world's days, what will our days be?

If our starlight shines brighter than the sun, what will our sunlight be? If we can sing in a dungeon, how sweet will our song be in heaven! If we praise God in the fires, how will we exalt Him before His eternal throne? If current hardships are good, what will God's overflowing goodness be then?

Oh, blessed "afterward!" Who wouldn't want to be a Christian? Who wouldn't bear the present cross for the crown to come? Yet this requires patience. The rest isn't for today, nor the triumph immediate, but "afterward." Wait, O soul, and let patience do her work.