"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." - James 1:2-4
It seems that life is full of suffering. I rarely read or watch the news, because when I do it is difficult for me to take in all of the pain, conflict, and turmoil in the world around us. When one considers it, life actually begins and ends with suffering. Childbirth is a painful process, and a newborn baby's first expression is crying. At the other end of life, death can be sudden and devastating, a painful drawn out process, or something in between, but it is always marked by suffering.
The reality of pain and suffering in this life could be cause for us to lose hope, but instead the Bible teaches us that as Christians, suffering can actually be an opportunity for joy and growth, and we can be made more complete through it. Here are three things the passage above reveals to us:
1. SUFFERING IS "WHEN", NOT "IF"
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..."
Again, suffering is inevitable. It is non-negotiable. To be alive and to be human is to suffer. This does not need to be a truth that defines our identity, but it is a reality we need to acknowledge and prepare for. And more than that, the Bible tells us that the inevitability of pain is an opportunity to "count it all joy." Only through Christ and His Gospel do we have the ability to view suffering in this way.
2. SUFFERING DOES A WORK IN US
"...you know that the testing of your faith produces..."
The two key words in James 1:3 are "testing... produces." For Christians, simply put, suffering is an opportunity for growth. God doesn't just get us through our storms, He grows us through them. Life's most difficult circumstances are the fertile soil in which all sorts of godly traits grow in us. Consider the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness - and how pain can give birth to each of these in unique ways.
3. SUFFERING HAS A PURPOSE
"...that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
The Bible has an answer for anyone who has ever looked to Heaven in the midst of their suffering and cried out to God, "Why!?" The answer is "that you may be..." God, in His sovereignty, is working something out in us as we walk through our valleys. Does that mean He enjoys seeing us suffer or causes us pain directly? No! But it does mean that He will in grace redeem our most difficult circumstances and use them to make us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." That alone can be an incredible promise to cling to in the midst of suffering: though we hurt, we are being made into someone more complete, more like Christ, more like God intends for us to be.
Are you suffering today? It was inevitable that you would. We have no choice in the matter of whether or not we will suffer, but we can choose how we will suffer. Choose joy. Choose hope. And let God grow you through it while He gets you through it.
It seems that life is full of suffering. I rarely read or watch the news, because when I do it is difficult for me to take in all of the pain, conflict, and turmoil in the world around us. When one considers it, life actually begins and ends with suffering. Childbirth is a painful process, and a newborn baby's first expression is crying. At the other end of life, death can be sudden and devastating, a painful drawn out process, or something in between, but it is always marked by suffering.
The reality of pain and suffering in this life could be cause for us to lose hope, but instead the Bible teaches us that as Christians, suffering can actually be an opportunity for joy and growth, and we can be made more complete through it. Here are three things the passage above reveals to us:
1. SUFFERING IS "WHEN", NOT "IF"
"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..."
Again, suffering is inevitable. It is non-negotiable. To be alive and to be human is to suffer. This does not need to be a truth that defines our identity, but it is a reality we need to acknowledge and prepare for. And more than that, the Bible tells us that the inevitability of pain is an opportunity to "count it all joy." Only through Christ and His Gospel do we have the ability to view suffering in this way.
2. SUFFERING DOES A WORK IN US
"...you know that the testing of your faith produces..."
The two key words in James 1:3 are "testing... produces." For Christians, simply put, suffering is an opportunity for growth. God doesn't just get us through our storms, He grows us through them. Life's most difficult circumstances are the fertile soil in which all sorts of godly traits grow in us. Consider the fruits of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness - and how pain can give birth to each of these in unique ways.
3. SUFFERING HAS A PURPOSE
"...that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."
The Bible has an answer for anyone who has ever looked to Heaven in the midst of their suffering and cried out to God, "Why!?" The answer is "that you may be..." God, in His sovereignty, is working something out in us as we walk through our valleys. Does that mean He enjoys seeing us suffer or causes us pain directly? No! But it does mean that He will in grace redeem our most difficult circumstances and use them to make us "perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." That alone can be an incredible promise to cling to in the midst of suffering: though we hurt, we are being made into someone more complete, more like Christ, more like God intends for us to be.
Are you suffering today? It was inevitable that you would. We have no choice in the matter of whether or not we will suffer, but we can choose how we will suffer. Choose joy. Choose hope. And let God grow you through it while He gets you through it.