"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,"
Ummmm - What? Who thought that was a good saying?!
Maybe "pure joy" meant something different long ago when it was written.
Oh, wait. The writer was Jesus' younger brother, James.
I think it is safe to assume he may know a few things
When I hear the words to consider trials pure joy or to rejoice when things are hard, my first thought is - you don't know what I have been through. The last three years, I have hung onto a verse in Ecclesiastes 3. It says there is a time to cry and a time to laugh, a time to grieve and a time to dance.
It is hard to understand "consider it pure joy" when you are suffering.
James goes on to explain that when our faith is tested, it produces endurance. As we build endurance or perseverance, we become mature and complete, not lacking in anything.
So, James, let me get this straight.
If ......
My job is eliminated,
My child makes a terrible decision,
My medical test comes back positive,
My bills are larger than my bank account,
Then I'm on my way to being "mature and complete"?
Hmmm (I'm really tempted to say, "No thanks. I'm good.")
"We can rejoice when we run into problems and trials....."
Rejoice? Seriously?
Tolerate? Yes. But, rejoice?
I looked up the original Greek words in these two quotes to make sure the meaning of the statements are exactly how they sound. (From James 1:2 NIV & Romans 5:3 NIV)
"Pure Joy" = chara - defined as cheerfulness; i.e., calm delight:- gladness; exceedingly joyful;
"Rejoice" = kauchaomai - defined as boast, glory, joy, rejoice
It looks like the definitions are exactly what I thought.
This leaves me with a conundrum. I am not a fan of trials and tribulations. As a matter of fact, I like to avoid them
To be honest, boasting about a trial is not usually the first thing that comes to mind.
Think about it. I talk to my friend and say, "Hey Friend - Wait until you hear my exciting news. My husband has been out of work for almost a year. Our insurance is no longer active. And we don't know how we are going to pay our mortgage."
Now it can be wonderful to see how God works things out for us when there seems to be absolutely no way.
But still - I am not yet in the place where I boast when there is a problem.
"The testing of your faith gives you perseverance. As this endurance develops in you, you become mature and complete, not lacking anything."
In Romans, the Apostle Paul explains a little more about becoming "mature and complete, not lacking anything".
He shows us -
Trials - lead to endurance
Endurance makes me think of training for a marathon.
Endurance - leads to strength of character
Like training for a marathon, each of your body's 'systems' get stronger.
Character - leads to confident hope.
This confident hope is an understanding of God's immense love for us. He gives us His Spirit, so we can truly 'get it'.
*Understanding God's love for us IS what brings us to maturity and completion.
Personally, I have struggled to 'get it' because I get distracted by the struggles.
I have gone through breast cancer treatment this year. Plus, three people I love have recently moved on to heaven. My trial right now is learning how to "do life" without my sister here.
I know God is close to the broken hearted. He comforts those who mourn. He is with us in every trial. So, how do I reconcile my heart ache and pure joy?
I reconcile it because I KNOW God can be trusted ALWAYS. Every trial and every pain I have endured, My Loving God has been right there helping in ways I never could have imagined. The first thing I heard in my heart when I cried out to God about my sister’s sudden death, was "Trust Me". A peace came over me immediately. Though my heart was shattered and I did not understand, I knew, from every past experience I have had with Him, that He was right there. I would soon see His love for me demonstrated as I walked through this terrible time.
It reminds me of the story in Acts 16. Paul and Silas were beaten, stripped, thrown into the inner cell of a prison and chained to the wall.
What did they do in the midst of such terrible suffering? Verse 25 says around midnight they began to pray and sing praises to God.
What?!
I’ll say it again. In the midst of their suffering, they KNEW God could be trusted.
The next verse tells of an absolute miracle. “Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundation of the prison was shaken. At once all of the prison doors flew open, and everybody’s chains came loose”
They were right! God could be trusted. He not only saved Paul and Silas from prison, but the chains of everyone near them came loose, also.
God's ways are impossible for us to understand while we are walking here on earth. But each time we choose to trust Him in the challenges of life, we begin to understand His love for us more and more.
It appears to me, Paul and Silas did not get chained up in prison and immediately start praising God. I’m not sure what time they got there, but “around midnight” they began to do the best thing they could. They prayed and sang songs to God. That is what changed everything for them.
I believe it is “around midnight” for us. It is time to start praising God right in the middle of our struggle.
Just like the runner sometimes experiences the trial of muscle pains or burning in the lungs, we experience our own version of pain when facing a trial.
The runner pushes through, developing mental stamina as well, knowing it is building the endurance he or she will need to reach the 26.2 mile goal.
That's it!
When facing a trial, we are actually on our way to being "complete". We are in the process of learning to understand the depth of God's perfect love for us.
YOU, My Friend, are loved by God more than you can even comprehend at this time. The things you view as your stressors, are actually stepping stones that lead you right to the place you want to be.
I encourage you to look for the ways God is showing you His personal love for you as you are facing trials of many kinds. You are his precious child.
It turns out, James was not being unreasonable by telling us to "consider it pure joy" when we are facing hard things. He is telling us to choose how we look at it, to understand the end goal. We can choose to praise God and be thankful even when it's hard.
The word "consider", hegeomai in the original Greek text, does not just mean "to deem; consider; account". It also means "to lead; i.e. to command (with official authority)".
My conclusion is we can BE THE BOSS OF OUR JOY.
Ephesians 3:18-19 IS the goal.
"May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep the love of God is.
May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete, with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God."
Never Forget the Truth .......
You are immensely loved by God.
