Sometimes life is like a peaceful walk on the beach. Sometimes it’s a marathon that never seems to end. And sometimes it’s a mud-crawl obstacle course.
That’s what James is talking about in his letter. James, the half-brother of Jesus, wasn’t one of Jesus’s twelve disciples. But as the Church grew after Jesus’s death and resurrection, he became one of the pillars of the Church. He wrote to the “twelve tribes scattered abroad,” Jews who believed Jesus was the promised Messiah but had fled Jerusalem to avoid persecution.
They knew about slogging through mud. They lost their livelihoods, their friends and family, and in some cases their lives. We don’t face that in the modern American Church, but many believers around the world still do.
That doesn’t mean we don’t face trials of our own. Maybe you’re facing a tough diagnosis, a broken relationship, the loss of a job, or the loss of a loved one. Our instinct is to curl up and protect what’s left or run from the situation. James tells us to go against that instinct and, instead, “Consider it an opportunity for great joy,” because we know it will lead to endurance and the opportunity to grow in our faith.
Endurance and faith come when we ask God for wisdom, stand firm in what we know to be true, and resist temptation. He’ll give us what only God can: faith, endurance, and a life lived close to God.
Prayer: Dear God, life is hard, but I am trusting in you and what you have said is true, that you will never leave me and that you will work things out for good for those who love you. Give me wisdom for these circumstances and help me to face them with perseverance and joy. Amen.