James 1:2-4 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Oh, James. Why? Why trials for joy? How about blessings? or abundance? or puppies?
I get the second half of the verse but the first can be a tough pill to swallow... but then I realized that I am at my closest to our Heavenly Father when I am facing trials. That is when I run to Him and ask His will, when I seek Him first and leave my agenda in the dust behind me. Last year I asked God to guide me through the journey of digging up my past to share my testimony with a small group and during the process He led me to this verse. I was deeply mired in the mucky memory of a long list of bad decisions I'd made in my past when He showed me that I could insert joy into my hindsight. It was actually true, my trials had taught me things and revealed parts of me I didn't know I had... looking at my past highlighted the joy in my present. The big picture realization here is that God rescued and redeemed me; the litany of trials in my past compared to the joy I currently feel make His renewing of my soul even more extraordinary.
At the same time I was gathering my past into a tidy 90 minutes I was going through classes at church to become more involved in the church itself. During the Spiritual Gift class I uncovered the grace gifts God had given to me: Shepherding, Exhortation and Mercy. I studied these gifts and the verses that speak about them in order to determine God's plan for me... I felt strongly that I needed to work through James 1:2-4 before I became a shepherd of God's people. As I worked through my past and prayed for God's hand in my future I realized I felt called to minister to women in small groups -- specifically in a supportive and encouraging manner. Well, God did something wonderful, He made the way for me to start my own small group through our church... which I call "Pure Joy".
As is typical, I now see what God was doing all of those years in my past. He was giving me experiences that would make me relate-able, giving me the knowledge that true strength comes solely from Him, giving me the perspective of a flawed and broken human who has been rescued... but most of all, giving me a faith that is WONDERFUL. I love His promise in Matthew 11:28-30 "Come to me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy, and My load is light."
