Consider it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
~James 1:2

Trials are very difficult for me to grasp. I guess it is because I’ve always believed the Christian life would be full of joy. But the longer I live the more I understand that trials are simply a part of the process. Things that “happen” to me seem to bother me more often than not. I tend to ask God “Why” so many times. But He tells us in the second verse of James why these things continue to happen. Does that help? Maybe. But it doesn’t make the trials more fun or enjoyable. Sometimes they are simply difficult.

Look at trials with joy

I know…that’s easy for me to say. But it is easier said than done. Imagine being told you have a certain disease or that your son or daughter has been in a car accident? What would you do? How would you respond? Would you look at that with joy? I would struggle to find joy in my child being in an accident or given a certain amount of time to live.

But these things happen and God has a plan to use them to help and encourage us. How? We may not see it until it’s done. So for now, we have to take God at His Word and look at our difficulty with joy. Smile through the pain; pray through the pain, and trust God through the pain.

Look at trials as a test

James tells us that trials are a test of our faith. I always hated test days at school. I think the main reason was that I failed so many of them. Seriously, I was not the best in Algebra. This was probably because I would have rather played than studied.

So when test day came around I failed. The problem was that failing never bothered me until my dad found out. Once my dad found out that I failed Algebra for the first nine weeks my life, as I knew it, was over.

I didn’t understand why it meant so much for me to pass the tests. I thought Algebra was an unnecessary part of my life. I was wrong. Those tests were checking my knowledge and ability to successfully complete the problems. I would have to repeat the class if I failed. And guess what. I repeated the class.

We should look at trials as a test of our faith. Will God find you faithful? Maybe you’ll have to retake the test. God is looking for people who will stand firm in their faith through the tests we face. Will you stand firm or will you have to retake the test?

Some Questions…

  1. What are some trials you’ve faced lately? How did you approach them?
  2. List some ways that God tested your faith through those trials listed in number 1.
  3. How can you help others who are going through those same trials?