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.