Choosing Joy in Trials

James 1:2-7

Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. 3 For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. 4 So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

I heard some great teaching last weekend from James McDonald at the True Woman Conference in Ft Worth. I don’t want to repeat the things that James taught, but I have been thinking about what I heard and want to just share my thoughts. The verses listed are from the New Living Translation, which I chose specifically because of the wording, “consider it an opportunity for great joy”. The word “consider” is from the Greek word that actually means “command, to lead, count, esteem, judge, or rule”. 

What this tells me is that troubles will come. We all have problems, no way around that. When I have troubles or trials, I am to make the definite decision, make the command, the rule that I will think of it as an opportunity for joy. A choice I am to  make, but with a good reason, because of what the trials are going to do. 

The original word translated troubles actually means “putting to proof by experiment”.  James (the writer of the letter) goes on to say, “when your faith is tested”. So, the trials that we have put our faith to the test. Most of us don’t like tests, but we know they serve a purpose. A test in school shows the student what they learned and where they need to improve. So, we can have an appreciation for our problems because they show us how our faith is.

James continues by saying, “ when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.”  Endurance is from the Greek word “hupomone” which means “abiding under.” 

Verse 4 says, “So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. “ Endurance is the first step in becoming perfect and complete. All the christian virtues begin with endurance. We have to learn to stay put so that God can do the work He needs to do.

When I have problems, I can choose to kick and scream, gripe and complain, try to run away or squirm to get out of it. But, I can make another choice. I can choose to take the grace that God offers and go through the trial with peace and joy. 

This week, as I have dealt with the little trials that come in normal daily life, I have thought about this. I have said, “Lord, I know that this little problem is helping me get to the goal of being like you. I choose to think of it as an opportunity. I am learning to stay under the circumstances that you have allowed in my life so that I can learn what I need to learn. This trial is speeding up the process and I am going to become more like you today!”