“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,”
What makes you happy? Bad weather? Financial setbacks? Of course not! We all encounter trials, both large and small. Some are mere inconveniences, others are deeply felt losses. And none of them make us happy.
James knows this, and so he opens his letter with this instruction to turn our thinking beyond the fleeting feelings of happiness, to the enduring mindset of joy. Put on a new way of thinking, he says, and look at life’s trials differently.
Let’s change our perspective and look beyond how difficult circumstances make us feel, and instead dwell on what they accomplish in our character. It is in moments, or even seasons, of difficulty, that our perseverance grows, leading us to deeper faith, and wisdom.
When we set our minds on how God uses trials to shape us, we know, not just feel, but truly know the lasting joy that comes from trusting Him.
