Trials Bring Perseverance

If you haven't read my previous blog post about my dear friend Rebbecca, I would highly recommend it before (or after) reading this one. (:

James 1:2-8

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do."

The first time I read verse two, my stomach started churning. "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds..." I thought that was impossible. Who has joy through trials? I think the reason it was so hard for me to understand this concept of joy through trials was because of the warped definition of 'joy' that my brain had come up with. I always considered joy to be a synonym of happiness or bliss. Joy goes much, much deeper than that. Happiness is being satisfied with your current circumstances. Joy is knowing that no matter what trials God throws your way, He will pull you through. He might pull you through that trial in a way that you weren't expecting or hadn't planned, but you know that even if your current circumstances aren't perfect, your eternity will be. 

The testing of our faith produces perseverance. When we face struggles in life, we have two options. We can either learn and grow from them, or we can let them break us down and get the best of us. God has an amazing way of using our trials to make us stronger. Our weaknesses are God's strengths, and if you let Him, He will use our weaknesses to grow us spiritually, mentally, and even sometimes physically.

2 Corinthians 12:8-10

"Three times I begged the Lord to make this suffering go away. But he replied, “My kindness is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So if Christ keeps giving me his power, I will gladly brag about how weak I am. Yes, I am glad to be weak or insulted or mistreated or to have troubles and sufferings, if it is for Christ. Because when I am weak, I am strong."