Cmon! Really?!?!

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2).

Cmon! Really?!?!

Consider it pure joy when we face trials, hurts, disappointments, failures, betrayals?

Cmon! Really?!?!

Notice God is not asking us to feel pure joy when we face trials, hurts, disappointments, failures, or betrayals. That is impossible.

God is asking us to consider it as pure joy. God is asking us to take a different perspective about sufferings and trials. You see, for us, we automatically put pain and hurt in the category of things to be avoided. We don’t like pain, suffering, and trials. In fact, most of us go out of our way to avoid pain, suffering, and trials.

But, when we do, we miss out. Because, you see, not all pain is bad. In fact there is a pain that is actually good.

There are two types of pains:

• Ones that hurt you
• Ones that grow you

In fact, there are times when growth, maturity, and change only comes at the other end of pain.

God is far more interested in our growth and maturity than he is in our comfort.

Are you facing trials, hurts, disappointments, failures, betrayals? God is at work to grow you and to make you more mature.

Therefore, consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds.