I wish James had put it another way. Don’t you? In the very opening of his letter to Christ-followers who were scattered all over he says,

[blockquote author=”” link=”” target=”_blank”]Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.[/blockquote]

When. Not if. I would prefer that James had said, “ Consider life a joy, and IF any trials ever happen to come your way, well…that’s just part of life. This too shall pass.”

Nope. He didn’t say that. Under the Holy Spirit’s direction he said we will surely have trials. Various trials. Sometimes from all directions. And James said, as the J. B. Phillips translation puts it, “…don’t resent them (trials) as intruders, but welcome them as friends!”

I don’t know about you, but that’s hard.

Fred Smith, a wise mentor to many spiritual leaders, once wrote,

[blockquote author=”” link=”” target=”_blank”]Some of us are trying to get away from difficulties. The sailboat needs breezes to move; the human being needs the winds of adversity for motivation. Our valleys test our ability to forget revenge and practice forgiveness.[/blockquote]

Sometimes that is not just hard, it is impossible. Someone wrongs you. Someone hurts your family. Unexpected trials…illness, accidents, death…take their toll. And we are to be happy?

Maybe part of the idea from James is to remind us we cannot live this life on our own. We need to depend on Jesus, His strength, His wisdom, His perseverance to see us through. And when we sense His provision and plan in our lives, even in the midst of hard days, we can be joyful.

Eugene Peterson says it this way in his paraphrase of these verses:

[blockquote author=”James 1:2-4 (MSG)” link=”” target=”_blank”]Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.[/blockquote]

Hang on. Get ready to smile. There is a joy-filled trial just around the corner. Count on it. How will you respond?

Ronald L. Harris

President

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