considering it all joy

"Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.  And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  James 1:2-4

I've read these verses hundreds of times over the years, but this week God showed me something new as I read them.  And of course it had to do with joy.  He's been bombarding me with this concept of being joyful lately, since I tend to be more on the melancholy and pensive side of things.  It's almost like I'm afraid to find joy in the little things, because what if it's not there in the bigger things?

I always considered this act of "considering it all joy" to be a simple, almost passive behavior.  Trials will happen to all of us; it's inevitable.  But when they happen to me, I tend to be more active with getting through the trial, not with finding joy within it.  And I think that's where I've been going wrong all these years.

We read in these verses that the testing of our faith produces endurance (or, in other translations, perseverance).  But what if finding joy within the trial that's testing our faith actually causes the product of endurance?  What if instead of being a passive behavior, finding joy becomes a catalyst that results in endurance?  Think about it.  Whether we strive to find joy in our trials or not, sooner or later we will get through them.  That testing of our faith could just as easily result in burnout, discouragement, and staying stagnant in our faith if we don't make finding joy a necessity.  No matter what the trial is, we could come out of the other side more mature and complete, or we could come out more frustrated and doubting than ever.  The difference is JOY.

So how do we find joy in the midst of trial?  Here's an idea.  Look to God, and instead of asking Him WHY, ask Him to remind you of WHO He is and WHAT He has done for you in your:

• past.  He has already come through for you and has helped you during past trials.  Did you try to find the joy in those trials, or did you just struggle to get through?  How did you feel on the other side?
• present.  He is doing a mighty work in you right now, using whatever trial you're in as a sculpting tool to shape you into something new and stronger.  He wants you to come out of this trial as someone who looks more like Him, someone more complete and sure in their faith.  
• future.  He will bring you out of this trial.  It won't last forever.  And you won't be the same person who entered that trial.  Skip down to verse 12:  "Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him."  Only having joy in that trial will help you to focus on the Lord, to love Him, and to come out of that trial the right way.

So this behavior of "considering it all joy" really isn't an option.  It's a necessity.  If we want to learn from our trials and allow God to use those hard times to mold us and strengthen us, finding joy within the storm is really the only way to make that happen.  And being joyful doesn't mean having a smile plastered to your face, or denying the difficulty of the circumstances you find yourself in.  It doesn't mean to suck it up or to ignore your feelings of sadness and concern.  It simply means to worship Him.  It means making a choice to praise Him even when you're not sure what He's doing.  And it means drawing closer to Him and thanking Him for sticking with you as you learn from that trial.  When the trial is over, that catalyst of joy will result in greater endurance, which will probably help you persevere when the next trial comes.  Best of all, that endurance helps us become more mature in our faith, meaning a much more meaningful walk with Him.

Can you find joy in trials such as poverty, disease, and death?  I think you can.  Yes, it's hard to consider it all joy when you've lost your job, when a friend's body is wracked with cancer, or when a loved one dies.  But if you look to the One who is sovereign over all of this, He can help you find joy.  I can think of no better source of joy than our Heavenly Father, and He is always ready to share that joy with us if we only ask.

mirror, mirror

Am I the only one who has the tendency to be extremely self-critical?  I've become more and more aware lately of how I continuously beat myself down for everything, from not doing the dishes right away to the way my clothes fit.  The latter, my physical appearance, tends to be more of an issue with me.  I'm hoping this is a common thing.  But more than that, I'm hoping it's easy to fix.

In the book of Ephesians, Paul prays for "enlightened eyes" for the people of Ephesus so they would know the hope to which God has called them (Ephesians 1:18).  I think this should be my prayer too.  Without this renewed vision, it's impossible to focus on anything but the wrong thing.  Enlightened eyes help us see past the temporary and past the surface.  God told Samuel the prophet that God cares more about the heart than the outward appearance (1 Samuel 16:7); with enlightened eyes, couldn't I be the same way?

Every morning I look into our bathroom mirror.  I see myself when I brush my teeth, wash my hands, do my makeup, and straighten my hair.  All the while my eyes are staring back at me, telling me everything that's wrong.  Your have dark circles under your eyes.  Your hair is frizzy.  Your arms are flabby.  Your stomach is still fat.  Sure doesn't sound enlightened, does it?

Sometimes my husband and I write little notes to each other on that same mirror using a dry erase marker.  A couple of weeks ago, he wrote "I love you" on my side of the mirror, and a few days later he added "best mommy in the world!" right underneath it.  It took me a few days after that to notice that in order to see my appearance, I had to look through those words written on the mirror.  Although I could move toward the other side of the mirror where there was nothing blocking my reflection, I found that I had a much better view right where I was at.  My husband's words of encouragement and affection effectively blocked out those dark circles and frizzy hair, and drew my attention away from what I thought I was wrong with me.  I had to read those words anytime I looked in the mirror, and they helped me to "see" who I really was.  I am loved, and I'm a wife and a mother.  Looks SO much better now.

Maybe that's how those enlightened eyes work.  Is it like putting on glasses to see everything through God's eyes, or is it like having cataracts that block out these negative thoughts and words we speak over ourselves day in and day out?  Might be a little of both.  Either way, I want more of His vision and His outlook.  I want to quit wasting time criticizing my flaws and instead glorify Him for all the good He's given me.  It's a tough thing to do, but really, it's not as though living the self-critical life is that easy either!

who are we? {part 4}

Welcome to the last installment of this series on identity.  Actually, there's a lot more to be said on this subject, but as it pertains to 1 Peter 2:9, God led me to keep this series relatively short.  For the previous posts in this series, just click on the tag "identity."  :o)

First, let's review the verse that has served as our focal point.  I know I need a quick review since these posts have had more space between them than I intended!

"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God's own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Peter 2:9).

In this last section, we'll delve further into the idea that we are "a people for God's own possession."  After considering our role as the "chosen race", the "royal priesthood", and the "holy nation", this one sounds a bit more personal, doesn't it?

My oldest sister has six kids.  She had a girl first, followed by three boys and a girl who naturally got more and more curious about their older sister's stuff as they got older (the sixth kid is still technically a baby, but I'm sure he'll be the same way once he's mobile.  Aren't all kids?).  In a house with that many people, you end up sharing mostly everything.  But in the past couple of years, the rule of "the treasure drawer" has been established to maintain some sense of privacy.  My niece reserves the top drawer of her dresser for what she calls her "treasures"; her camera, drawings, journals, and other special things that her younger siblings are not to touch.  Everything else outside that drawer is understood to be shared, but the items in her treasure drawer are for her alone, and a sibling can only have access to them with her permission.  This idea caught on quickly...now the younger siblings have treasure drawers too!

That's how we are with God, in a way.  He views us as His treasures, despite our appearance or shortcomings.  Like frayed or torn coloring book pages, we might also be a little rough around the edges.  But God sees our value, and reserves us for a special place where no one else can touch us without His permission.  Sure, the enemy can mess with our circumstances; God may allow some hardships to come our way and it may seem that we've been stolen from the drawer and left in a dusty corner somewhere all alone.  But we never lose that "treasure" status with God, as long as He is the Lord of our lives.

Although my niece's treasures are safely kept in her drawer, she still takes them out and uses them.  She snaps pictures with her camera, reads her journals, or shows her mom pictures she's drawn.  But she still watches over them and protects them the entire time they're outside of the drawer to make sure her siblings don't misuse them.  It's the same with us.  There's intimacy, security, and comfort to be had in that treasure drawer, but we are also called to serve God outside of it so we may "proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."  We are here to glorify God and to testify to His goodness and mercy, and we can do that in a variety of ways, whether it's witnessing to someone who's searching, preaching a sermon, or simply going to work every day because God has called us to that job to provide for our family.  And the entire time we carry this purpose out, we are still in God's hand.  He still protects us as if we're safely hidden away in a drawer. No one has access to us without His permission.

If something is "for your own possession" and is extremely important to you, you're going to guard it with your life and make sure it doesn't get lost, stolen, or misused.  God sent His Son to die for you and has called you "His own possession." Sounds like you're pretty important to Him, huh?

As we end this series on identity, I'll leave you with two questions to mull over.

1. Do I truly understand my identity as one for God's own possession, as one of His very precious treasures?
2. In what ways do I proclaim the excellencies of God?

Thanks so much for reading.  I know this series helped me to better understand who I am in Christ.  I pray it did for you too.  :o)