“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters when you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.”

James 1:2-3 NIV

None of us enjoy trials.  In fact we would  all like to  avoid them if possible.  But it is not possible because we live in a fallen and broken world.   No one escapes trials.  Some are caused by bad decisions or bad choices we have made.  Others are caused through no fault of our own.   We have no control over  fires, floods, tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, tsunamis, droughts, and the loss of loved ones.  They just happen!  And they happen to everyone at one time or another.  They are real.   They are difficult and painful.   

But for those who follow Jesus,  God the Father will use those trials to teach us about His faithfulness.    He will use those trials to teach us the truthfulness  of His Word.   And He will use those trials to develop  perseverance in our lives.   

Scientists know that when a butterfly is breaking forth from its  cocoon,  it must struggle. The struggle is intense.  It is hard.   If we were to assist the butterfly by helping it open its  cocoon,  the butterfly would be weak and unable to fly. It would soon die.   The struggle forces essential fluid into the veins of the butterfly’s wings which is necessary for them to be strengthened.  If the wings are not strengthened by this process, the  butterfly will not be able to  fly once it emerges from the cocoon. 

Likewise our faith is strengthened through trials.   If  we do not quit, perseverance is produced as a result.  Our  faith is strengthened.  Our trust in God is deepened.  And we become a more effective follower of Christ. Therefore, although the trials may not be joyful, we can count on them as tools that God will use to ultimately  produce more joy in our lives.

Rev. James Black