“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.” - James 1:2-3
What distinguishes Christianity from every other world religion is the concept of joy in suffering. On its face, this seems to be an absurd notion. How are we to consider our deepest pains and hurts “pure joy”? James writes that the source of this joy comes from a heavenly promise. It is the promise of the Father to “produce perseverance...so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Put simply, through our trials, we are made steadfast in a strength that is not our own.
James reveals that God’s purpose in shaking our faith is to create an unshakable faith‒one that relies solely on Him and throws off the things of this world. It is through suffering that He graciously reveals that which we prize and idolize above Him. St. Augustine writes, “He loves Thee too little, who loves anything together with Thee, which he loves not for Thy sake.” In other words, “No man can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24). When we come to a place of utter brokenness, this truth is uniquely evident; either we can fall to our knees, trust God, and give Him our whole heart, or we can rely on ourselves and earthly things. It is through our suffering and by God’s grace that we are genuinely able to know that He is all we truly need. By His grace, we can declare through hardship and uncertainty, “The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised” (Job 1:21).
During the Thanksgiving season, we easily default to exclusively praising God for that which He has given: family, friends, success. But how often do we also pause to praise Him for the hardships we endure‒for the difficulties that have inevitably drawn us closer into His presence? May we search for His goodness as vigilantly in the valleys as we do on the mountains, for He works all things for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). We have the privilege of serving a gracious God who promises hope and purpose in both the seemingly insignificant challenges and in the toughest trials. May we praise Him irrespective of circumstance, and may we count it all as joy.
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