Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow (James 1:2-3, NLT).
When I left work the other day, it was raining. It had been raining off and on most of the week. Before I left, my coworkers were describing how awful the weather was and made them feel.
When I got outside, however, I noticed something amazing. Two birds were playing together like it wasn’t raining. They looked like they were having so much fun. That’s when the Lord starting sharing the words of this post.
God’s desire is for us to be more like the birds and less like my coworkers. He wants us to take James’ advice: “… when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy” (James 1:2, NLT). Why should you be joyful? James gives more reasons:
- Challenges are not Consuming: Notice that James said trouble will come, not conquer. The first reason you can rejoice is because your troubles will not triumph over you.
- Challenges are Constructive: God does not allow trouble to lead to our destruction. He allows it to build us up. Everything we face gives our faith and endurance a boost!
So, I leave you with a challenge. Sing in the rain! Be joyful just like those birds I saw while leaving work. You can sing through your trials because they will not outlast you!