I’ve been
teaching the book of James in my New Testament classes and several things have
jumped out at me. I want to use the next few posts to highlight a few of these
thoughts. The first is found in James 1:2, where we are told to consider it
pure joy when we encounter various trials. Now I don't know about you, but joy
is not my default setting when hard times hit. I want to grumble, complain, and
sometimes throw an all-out tantrum. However, God is clear in his message to us
that it is through trials that we gain endurance.
I’m a
wannabe athlete and have been for a long time. I go through phases when I get
obsessive about working out (I love P90X and Insanity), and then I just get
plain lazy. Most recently, I’ve been
pretty lazy. Mountains I used to climb with vigor, I now climb with huffing and
puffing – why? Because I’ve grown lazy in building my physical stamina.
The same is
true of our spiritual muscles. When life is easy, we tend to get lazy. We risk
losing our spiritual oomph when our faith isn’t being tested, in the same way
that our physical muscles lose strength when we fail to use them.
Now, I don’t
want to face struggles any more than the next gal, but I do want to be more
like Jesus. I can’t say that I welcome the trials in my life, but I’m learning
to consider them joy. I know that they are not in vain. There is meaning and
purpose for times of suffering.
So, I’m
making a commitment to strive to be better fit, both physically and
spiritually, through personal discipline and endurance. Will you join me?
Labels: Inspirational, Joy
