Psalms 13 should be found in lamentations.

"How long O lord? will you forget me forever?
How long will you hide your face from me?
How long shall i take counsel in my soul
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?"

"how long?"
Have you heard it before?
haha, i have.
i think kids are a good example. "How long til we get to granny's place?" "How long til the movie starts?" How long, how long.
And i realised that children have no concept of minutes or miles. it would seem useless for me to explain how exactly time works.

i think just like a little child- i sometimes ask God... "how long?"
How long must i endure this pain? this hurt? this sickness? this temptation? this sin?
Do i really want God to answer? would i really understand His perfect plan? not in a million years i would think.

Children can't envision the reward either- i can tell my 6 yr old cousins that we'll be at granny's house soon and we'll have really good food to eat. fish maw soup, i said. i love her fish maw soup, and i'd drive 6 hours for my granny's fish maw soup. (if there was 6 hours of driving in singapore)
i can endure the journey because i know the destiny. but my cousins? a whole other story. i try to help them to see what they can't see, i describe the soup and how it tastes absolutely scrumptious.... and how granny cooks it for hours.
And it works! their grumbling decreases as their vision clears.

i think that's what Paul meant by motivation- he had a clear vision of the reward.
"Therefore do not lose heart. Though we are outwardly wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. " 2 cor 4:16-18

And yes, when we compare our lives now to the life we have in Christ- "our days on earth are like shadows" 1 chron 29:15.
our lives are "but a breath" Ps 39:5.
Altho i really doubt Paul's troubles and persecutions in the Roman empire were " light and momentary". more like long and trying ordeals.

I know for some of you the journey has been long. very long and stormy. In no way do i wish to minimize the difficulties that you have had to face along the way. And you are tired and weary.
But God is telling us, " It's worth it.".... God is saying,"I'm worth it"

Yesterday's challenges are lost in today's joy. if only we could see it.
Remember this: God may not do what you want. but he will do what is right... and best.
He's the father of forward motion. Trust Him. He will get you home.
And its ok, close your eyes and rest. The trials of the trip will be lost in the joys of the feast.