Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
I’ve never been a cheerleader! I sure wanted to be but it just wasn’t my gig! I did play basketball once! I mean once – literally! I played one game! Coach put me in and I finally got my hands on the ball and …. I shot at the wrong goal! Yep! My fifteen seconds on the court was momentous let me tell you but I’ve never been a cheerleader.
Cheerleaders bring joy! They bring optimism to an otherwise terrible game sometimes. They keep us filled with hope when the team is down 30 points. They are needed! How do they do it? How do they stay upbeat in the face of not so “rosey posey” results? I’m not sure but it’s an attribute we are to possess as Christians!
James really hammers us as to our position during trials! He says to consider it all joy! What? I don’t know about you but as a rule I’m not looking for my pom-poms when God throws in a humdinger of a storm. I’m not doing my best “round off” to celebrate! But as I dig into this word “joy” that’s exactly what it means! The word really means joy: cheerful, calm even exceedingly joyful! We tend to want to dig deep into the words of the Bible but I struggle sometimes with just being joyful in a trial!
I don’t think it’s necessarily the trial that James speaks about that we should look at as joyful but it’s the fruit that the trial produces! It’s knowing what it produces! Testings and trials produce endurance! Endurance matures me so I am complete.
Do I want the trial? No. Do I want to be an enduring saint? YES!
Do I want to be strong enough so that when the next trial circles around I am stronger like a tree planted by the water? YES
So can I grab my pom-poms the next time hardship comes knowing God is giving me an opportunity to mature? Yes! I can testify to this today! I am walking through a trial myself right now! I know God is giving me an opportunity to be more complete by giving me a trial I can learn to endure through as He matures me!
This one isn’t all flowery but it’s got teeth!
Consider it joy my friend! Consider it joy!
Marni
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