“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance.” ~ James 1:2 (NIV)
Sarah paced the cold kitchen floor as she toted her feverish two year old daughter on her hip. Her eyes were worn and tired from lack of sleep. As if dealing with a chronically ill child wasn’t enough, she was drowning in worry over mounting medical bills that insurance would not cover. Just out of college, her Husband Adam was doing his best to provide, but his entry level job would never be enough to meet their financial needs. “Why is this happening to me?”, Sarah thought to God. She let out a deep sigh, as she wiped the tears from her eyes and wondered why everything seemed to be going wrong lately. After all, Sarah had God on her side. Why wasn’t God protecting her from the bad things that were happening in her life?
As a child, I used believe my life in Christ guaranteed me a world free from problems. As I’ve grown in my faith walk, I’ve come to realize that according to James 2:1, it’s not a matter of if I’m going to have troubles, it’s a question of “when”. “Whenever” I encounter periods of difficulty the choice is mine. I can “count it all joy”, or choose sorrow. There have been many times in my life when I couldn’t find joy in my trials. Like Sarah, I questioned God. Not too long ago though, as I sat in my livingroom crying in distress, I was able to find joy and thank God for the pain I was going through.
Discussion:
Did you ever believe life in Christ would offer you a life free from worry? Can you recall a time where you chose joy over sorrow?
I have been feeling in the midst of trials for months – the one I am facign now makes my stomach hurt.
I needed that piece of scripture.
I am not sure if I ever thought that my faith in Christ would free from a life of trials. But I do know that I am supposed to not worry – which is impossible for a natural worrier like me. And one reason I still worry is that I know that I WILL encounter pain in this world – and I don’t want to!!! But I know that through the pain, God will make me stronger and sustain me. He will hold me as I weep and prepare a heavenly home for me to come to when it is all over. That is the joy that keeps me from succumbing to worry.
wow! what a great reminder! i know that at the moment with 3 sick children my mantra has been one thing at a time but what if i changed that to count it all joy! wouldnt my outlook be soooo different esp from my childrens point of view!!!
i shall revise my mental reminders immediately. THANK YOU so much
pauline in au
Choose JOY! What a GREAT idea! Thanks for reminding us that we do have options!
Diane
I just heard this preached on last Sunday at church! I think that even though it is a tough message, it’s very important to learn. I think I may have been guilty of thinking that because I was a child of God, my life would be problem free, at one time or another. But really, if our lives were perfect all the time, why would we ever need God? Letting Him shine in spite of our weeknesses and choosing to be joyful in that is an awesome lesson to take hold of.
What a great entry Paula. I will admit though, as a chronic worrier, choosing joy is certainly not easy for me. I will continue to work on it. 🙂
Choosing joy. Incredible to think that we can do that!
When I became a Christian, I knew I wasn’t signing on for a cruise. But, I didn’t expect my life to change THAT much. But it did. There have been times I’ve had to force myself to find the joy in whatever situation I was in. But in those times, usually of despair, is when I find myself clinging to the Lord the most. And I also have days when He blesses me with joy. A joy that has absolutely nothing to do with circumstance. And then I am certain that it is a gift from Him.
We, as moms, totally set the “tone” in our household. I have to remember this always.
[…] Faith Lifts theme this month is “Joy”. Contributing writer, Paula, says that even in our trials we must consider it pure joy. She says, ‘As a child, I used to believe my life in Christ guaranteed me a world free from problems. As I’ve grown in my faith walk, I’ve come to realize that according to James 1:2, it’s not a matter of if I’m going to have troubles, it’s a question of “when”.’ “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perserverance.” ~ James 1:2 (NIV) […]