Consider it Joy
I still write a good bit of handwritten correspondence, and after the initial greeting, I typically follow with something like, “I hope this note finds you and yours doing well.” Or “I hope this gazette finds you well and happy.” Or something along those lines. Something upbeat. Encouraging.
But not James. Oh, no. After his greeting in his letter, he follows with, “Consider it pure joy, family members, whenever you face trials of many kinds....” Consider it joy when you go through the hardships of life? Well...I guess that’s one way to do it. I’d prefer, “Hey, Hester, I hope this letter finds you driving a new Maserati and listening to your Arsenal team win the Champions League,” but different strokes for different folks. James means what he writes, though. He really does think we should consider it joyful when we hit life’s turbulence. He goes on to say such seasons in life produce perseverance, and that perseverance will make us “mature and complete.” James, of course, understands that this is a big ask, and so he immediately instructs us to pray to the Lord for wisdom in these moments, because the Lord gives generously and will do so when we ask.
We have all joked with our children when they get a scrape or a bad grade or whatever: “It builds character,” but that actually is true. Hardships, when approached biblically through prayer and steadfastness, actually do build character. They humble us and make us depend even more on the Lord. And they very often bear the fruits of Christian character that we otherwise might not have learned - stewardship, patience, and the like.
But there’s another aspect to counting tough times as joy: It reminds us where the real power over our lives rests, and it’s not with trying circumstances. When we are going through a season of real grief or calamity, it is so, so easy to feel overwhelmed, to feel like this is never going to end. But it will end. And “counting it as joy” helps us put this terrible season of life in perspective, helps us remember who is truly in control. This really can’t be overstated. I am so guilty of giving the power over my life to external circumstances, of acting like bad news is defining for who I am and what the Lord has called me to do. I so regularly wobble in my faith in him to do miraculous things. But he’s sovereign. Circumstances aren’t. When we count trouble as joy, those difficult circumstances stop having so much power over our lives, and we start to more deeply experience what the Lord can do.
I thought my letter openings were encouraging, but, as it turns out, I’ve nothing on James.
In Father, Son, and Spirit,
Todd Hester
Teaching Team
But not James. Oh, no. After his greeting in his letter, he follows with, “Consider it pure joy, family members, whenever you face trials of many kinds....” Consider it joy when you go through the hardships of life? Well...I guess that’s one way to do it. I’d prefer, “Hey, Hester, I hope this letter finds you driving a new Maserati and listening to your Arsenal team win the Champions League,” but different strokes for different folks. James means what he writes, though. He really does think we should consider it joyful when we hit life’s turbulence. He goes on to say such seasons in life produce perseverance, and that perseverance will make us “mature and complete.” James, of course, understands that this is a big ask, and so he immediately instructs us to pray to the Lord for wisdom in these moments, because the Lord gives generously and will do so when we ask.
We have all joked with our children when they get a scrape or a bad grade or whatever: “It builds character,” but that actually is true. Hardships, when approached biblically through prayer and steadfastness, actually do build character. They humble us and make us depend even more on the Lord. And they very often bear the fruits of Christian character that we otherwise might not have learned - stewardship, patience, and the like.
But there’s another aspect to counting tough times as joy: It reminds us where the real power over our lives rests, and it’s not with trying circumstances. When we are going through a season of real grief or calamity, it is so, so easy to feel overwhelmed, to feel like this is never going to end. But it will end. And “counting it as joy” helps us put this terrible season of life in perspective, helps us remember who is truly in control. This really can’t be overstated. I am so guilty of giving the power over my life to external circumstances, of acting like bad news is defining for who I am and what the Lord has called me to do. I so regularly wobble in my faith in him to do miraculous things. But he’s sovereign. Circumstances aren’t. When we count trouble as joy, those difficult circumstances stop having so much power over our lives, and we start to more deeply experience what the Lord can do.
I thought my letter openings were encouraging, but, as it turns out, I’ve nothing on James.
In Father, Son, and Spirit,
Todd Hester
Teaching Team
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