Recently, I’ve been reflecting a lot on life and its challenges. I’ve written about the importance of approaching the Lord with sincerity and seeking His help when we need it. Our faith strengthens through exercise, and we all know that it gets exercised only when we actively use and work it. Often, it’s the difficulties or challenges we face that test our faith. This principle isn’t new. Scripture, particularly in the book of James, affirms that our faith grows through various trials. So, if challenges foster our faith, how should we, as believers in Christ, respond to or feel about these many and varied trials?

James encourages us to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds. It seems odd, right? To rejoice or view challenges positively. Isn’t suffering just bad and something we want to avoid? It’s certainly not something we intentionally seek; it’s simply a natural part of life. I was talking to my son the other day, explaining that the saying “if it’s not one thing, it’s another” makes perfect sense to me. Often, there seems to be a cycle of suffering and relief in our lives. Recently, I looked back at a journal I wrote after high school graduation, when I was starting college. I was amazed to find that the same struggles I faced back then are still present in my life. Apparently, depression isn’t a new struggle. Feeling alone and out of place isn’t unfamiliar, even when I have a full life and am surrounded by people. I still find myself feeling this way. At that time, I longed for friendship and connection, which weren’t easy to obtain or maintain. It’s crazy to think that a quarter of a century later, I’m still dealing with the same issues. I also had concerns about finances, choices, and even physical sickness. These challenges are a natural part of our human condition and can vary greatly for each of us. Not everyone struggles with the same things I do, but they have their own battles. I believe this wrestling with ourselves is part of our journey with the Lord. It’s a battle we must fight every single day, no matter how old we get.

In addition to that, there are the trials come in various ways.  Some are entirely external. Devastating health issues, sometimes terminal illnesses. Persistent health issues that don’t kill you but definitely force you to change your life. Many of these persistent health issues don’t go away until you die. What choice do we have—live with the suffering and the health issue or die? What kind of choice is that? I know that thought has crossed many people’s minds. It’s not just our health that can be a source of suffering, but also the health of others. We love others, and therefore we know that it’s inevitable we will lose them, or they will lose us. Going through loss and grief is definitely a trial, and I don’t think any of us will get through life without facing it at least once. Financial uncertainty and needs have certainly become trials that more people continue to face. No matter what class of society you are in currently, everyone right now has tightened their belts to the point of discomfort. If you have a job, there’s definitely the thought that you really need to keep it, and many are looking for one. We know that God has promised to provide everything we need for life and godliness, and sometimes life challenges us to believe in God as our sustainer and provider. We can be challenged by tragedy, sickness, grief, loss of a job, the need for a job, the need for the job we have to provide more, and even relationship challenges.

Even the most sacred relationships can be cut off. I’ve seen people go through those kinds of trials. It’s almost like a lingering death. The person is still alive, but it doesn’t make any difference because they’re not in your life. This is definitely another way we are challenged and tried. Other people can be offensive and hurtful, offering opportunities for us to practice forgiveness. As it says, there are trials of many kinds. I could spend all day telling you different ways people are tried and challenged in life. Notice I’m not saying that God causes the things that are challenging to them. Much of what we face in terms of challenges, whether it’s sickness or grief, is due to sin and its consequences. It wasn’t meant to be this way; we would have lived forever with the Lord in a perfect place had it not been for a decision made by a few people long ago. But there is hope for us even in a world where we face many kinds of trials. Even in a world where we created the situation that caused much of that suffering.

What is the hope? Why does James say we should consider trials of many kinds to be pure joy? Because we know that the testing of our faith produces perseverance. He asks us to let perseverance finish its work in us so that we can be mature and complete, not lacking anything. We know that through struggle and trials, we can persevere, and this is something to be celebrated. In order for us to become mature and complete, we will have to persevere. As believers in Christ, we should always desire to grow and mature in our faith. We know that we can do this through learning about the Lord in scripture and spending time in God’s presence. But do we fully understand, that this maturing and growing in our faith also happens because we persevere through trials of many kinds? We grow and mature in Christ because we face adversity and challenges and endure.

This kind of life for a believer is not the easy one that the false religious idea of Christ promotes. If you believe that salvation is to make your life easier and better and that somehow the road is wide, even though it clearly says it’s narrow, then this is not a message you believe or want to hear. However, it is the truth. So eloquently spoken by James, we should consider trials of many kinds pure joy. Not because of what they are, but because of what we know they can produce in us. I challenge you today to see the trials of many kinds in a new way. I challenge you to find joy not because of the trial, but because of what you know can come from it. Instead of anger or desperation to be freed from our struggles and challenges, we should trust in the Lord and know that He’s working it all out somehow for our good.