James 1:2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
How do we find joy in trials? James emphasizes this by adding the world “pure” to joy. The Greek word simply means “all” or total. To face trials with joy with no room for other emotions or thoughts takes a great deal of faith and confidence in God. We will face many different types of trials in life: health problems, employment challenges, difficult relationships, ridicule and abuse, conflicts with people of different opinions, persecution for our faith, standing up for our convictions, and many other things. Being human means that we will face problems. We must look at the cause of these problems. Some of them are our own doing because of the choices we have made, even sins. Others are due to the decisions of others, even to the point of causes us harm. Some bad things happen to us because of nature or accidents. Old age brings on many trials. How will we approach all the difficult times we will face? At first, we may be tempted to feel discouraged or angry. Both of these will bring defeat and may actually lead to more problems. We can try to ignore the problems and hope they go away, but that usually does not happen. Postponement may only cause the problem to get bigger. We can also just buckle up and face our problems with confidence in God and the tools and resources God has given us. Looking back in life, I see some of my problems eventually went away. But with those that lingered, I needed to change my perspective lest I let those problems defeat me. Joy in trial must be rooted in faith that God will see us through.
For older posts, click here.