James 1:1-8
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers
and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know
that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let
perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete,
not lacking in anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask
God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will
be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,
because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and
tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything
from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all
they do.”
It's interesting how trials and suffering
can be understood in a new light. James is suggesting for us to see
it in a different way – to perceive trials and suffering as pure
joy. Why? Because through these, we will grow stronger. Our faith
will grow stronger. We will become mature and complete. Isn't that
what we want as followers of Christ? To not stay stagnant, but to
continue to grow in our love for God and for others.
Being able to weather the storms and
trials will create perseverance, so when more come, we will be able
to withstand them, stronger than before, because we have the
experience of getting through them. We can recall the season where we
got through it, because we persisted in prayer. We persisted in
worship. We persisted in meeting up with community.
We must try not to forget the promises
of our Father in those trials. He is faithful and He is true. His
words and His promises never waver. They are steady. They do not
shift like the wind.
Lamentations 3:22-23
“Because of the Lord's great love we
are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every
morning; great is your faithfulness.”
-Laura
