Consider it Pure Joy
Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. - James 1:2-4
Recently, my son’s health began to decline, whilst trying to navigate this I was preparing to teach on Sunday. I kept moving forward, childhood illnesses come and go, and I imagined this too would pass. My assigned passage was James 1. This well-known letter to Christian believers begins with James, the half-brother of Jesus, encouraging all to preserve through the trials of life with the promise that a fruitful maturity will be the outcome.
Normally, as I prepare to teach the Bible, the Holy Spirit reveals truths that I treasure; draws out gems that teach about life and the passage. However, this sermon was different. I had a message for the congregation but I did not feel that same conviction in my preparation of the passage.
As the days passed, our son’s health continued to deteriorate and with each day James’s words echoed louder in my mind.
My first instinct was to reject them – I did not feel like practicing what I was about to teach! How could I consider it pure joy as I watched my child struggle with poor health each day? Consider it pure joy as he suffered despite our prayers and medical care? How could I consider it pure joy when my mother-heart broke at the sight of his tears and trauma? The wrestle was real.
Still James’s words stood. Immovable in my mind. Like a lighthouse, that I could glimpse in the distance. Then it hit me, perhaps this sermon was not a testimony of what had been. What if it was a prophetic preparation for what we were about to experience? Not a recounting of what God had done but of what He was about to do.
Sometimes when Father God brings a revelation it is not meant to be a theology lesson. Maybe it’s preparation for what is ahead. It dawned on me how this was as an act of His kindness. His equipping us to understand what we would need to face the storm we found ourselves in.
I remember my mother sharing this thought with me during a trying time a few years ago. My parents were the victims of a serious motor vehicle accident. Mum required emergency heart surgery and was in intensive care for several days.
While recovering, she recalled how two days before the accident she had watched on television doctors perform the operation she would herself need to undergo. When the doctors explained she would need that exact same surgery she had witnessed just days before, she understood what was happening and felt at peace. She had a sense of God’s goodness in preparing her for the trial.
It is these moments of goodness that James encourages us to grab hold of like an anchor in life’s trials. Our grip on Father God’s love strengthens our faith. These anchors help us to persevere through the pain. It was this thought that kept my heart at peace when my emotions wanted to bubble uncontrollably to the surface as we waited for a solution for my son.
His kindness in giving me James’ words to stand upon, before I knew I would need them, acted as a fortress around me. They kept me trusting in His goodness and calling on His name, knowing that He would see us through. And He did. James was right. There is joy to be found in the midst of our troubles. I am grateful for James’ heart to shift my perspective beyond the disaster to the goodness of Father God.
I found it possible to hold on and hold out for longer than I have ever done in the past because I could see His kindness in the chaos. As I held my son’s hand, I could sense Father God’s holding my other.
This article was originally published on shematters.com.au
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Charissa Steffens is a teacher with a background in business and publishing. Passionate about strengthening the Body of Christ she holds a Master of Arts (Biblical Studies) and minsters through the spoken and written word. She writes for the love of it at her blog shematters.com.au. She serves as an Elder in her home church Nexus in Brisbane, Australia. And is oh so happily married to David with whom has two beautiful children, Elisha and Lucas.