Consider It Nothing But Joy.
2 My brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of any kind, consider it nothing but joy, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance; 4 and let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking in nothing. (NRSV James 1:2-4)
I don’t know about you, but when I get up and scan the news every morning, I am tempted to let my spirit sink.
Our own country seems to be conspiring to undo the social bonds that tie us together. It is not necessary to recount a laundry list of lies, missteps, and misdeeds. We can see the dystopian nightmare we are poised to become.
The question is, “What priorities will drive us during this time?” To find the answer, I would encourage you to look at Scripture and ask what we are all about. What is our highest priority?
As we consider this, the book of James can be helpful to us. James was deeply concerned that believers would live out their faith by doing good deeds while living under adverse circumstances.
James recognized that trials, rather than being a curse, strengthened us. I recently read about an experiment to improve the growth of tree seedlings. An agricultural team built a perfect environment free of all stressors. The tree seedlings sprouted and soon thereafter died. It seemed that they became too spindly and collapsed under the weight of their own leaves. Without the stress of wind, they could not successfully grow. Reflecting on that, we see the wisdom of James when he embraces trials
James tells us to consider it joy when we face trials. He wants us to become mature and complete, lacking nothing. Why? What is the goal? We should not focus on becoming better Americans or better at the things we do in the world. The goal is that we become better sons and daughters of our Father in heaven.
Kingdoms come and go, countries rise and fall, and societies ascend and descend. This is the story of our broken world, and it will remain this way until Jesus returns. We are not of this world. We are not Americans who happen to be Christians, instead we are Christians who happen to be Americans.
Our identity as Christians means that our allegiance must be to Jesus. Our goals and focus must be centered on Jesus and the Kingdom of God. Our identity determines how we relate to the world around us. Our desire is to know what Jesus would have us do today. To do that, we must be mature and complete. Rather than being downcast at the news of the day, we need to learn to hold our heads up and count it all joy. Then, we will learn what Jesus asks of us moment by moment.
The next time you catch up on the news, don’t lose hope. Instead, view each challenge as a chance to grow closer to Jesus, a pathway to maturity. Afterward, step out and do what Jesus calls you to do in that very moment.
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