“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.” – James 1:2-3
Difficult seasons in life aren’t some unfortunate accident or mistake. Whether professional, relational, emotional, educational, political, physical, spiritual, medical, financial, or a combination of these, trying times aren’t just a miserable distraction from what’s important. They’re often a crucial part of growing and maturing followers of Jesus. God permits them to ripen our faith and deepen our relationship with our Savior. There are preachers and teachers that falsely claim bad things won’t happen to believers if they just have enough faith. That is NOT what the Bible teaches!
The Bible teaches that through inevitable seasons of pain, frustration, loneliness, and defeat, Christian faith is tested and refined by fire. It’s impossible for you to know the strength and depth of your faith unless it’s challenged by trials bigger than yourself. You’ll never truly understand how sweet and precious it is that Jesus is with you every step of the way until you’ve been carried by Him through long seasons of pain and struggle. You’ll never realize or rely on the unlimited strength of God within you until your weakness is made very obvious to you.
This is why James challenges us to view trials as a source of joy. Because he knows, that in those trials, we’ll get to know our Lord in a much more personal and dependent way. Because he knows that through them, we’ll learn to walk in His strength and presence rather than our own abilities. Because he knows that through them, we’ll learn to have the steadfast endurance that’s only available through the steadfast love and presence of Jesus in our lives. Count it all joy and #FollowJesus