"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 anything." James 1: 2-4
"How do you count the trials of your life as joy?
We all want to persevere in our faith. We want our faith to be 'perfect and complete.' But who wants to go through trials to make it happen? The problem is, perseverance doesn't come from listening to a sermon. There is no inspirational bestseller we can read that will help us plumb the depths of our faith. We don't become perfect and complete by sitting in church. We learn who He really is during the most desperate part of our trials. It's about meeting God where and when we need Him most. Sure, our faith grows through reading Scripture and praying, but just as we don't know the strength of our body until we test it in a physical challenge, our faith isn't perfected until it's been tested in a spiritual challenge.
Let's not misunderstand what James is saying. He isn't saying we should do cartwheels when bad things happen…
That's not it at all.
James is saying that when the trials of life happen, we need to hold on to God. It's an opportunity for us to look in the dark for the less obvious blessings and mercies of God that we might overlook in the light. When we do, God shows us things that we otherwise might miss. God's light is brightest in the dark."
Laura Story: "When God Doesn't Fix It"
(emphasis - mine)
Blessings,
Linda
