“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.

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires” (James 1:19-20).

Good and Godly decisions are rarely made when we are angry, stressed, and hurt. When we are angry, stressed, or hurt, the brain goes into fight or flight mode.

In a stressed out condition, the creative area of our brain that is able to seek helpful solutions shuts down. In anger and stress, we either lash out or bolt. Neither of these are helpful. Relationships are destroyed, churches split, marriages break when we lash out or bolt.

God knows we will all deal with stressful situations. God knows things will happen that will royally tick us off. God knows people will say things that will hurt us.

So, God tells us:

• Be quick to listen
• Be slow to speak
• Be slow to anger

Take a deep breath. Take a pause. Don’t react and respond in anger, stress, and hurt. You will only do more damage.

Pause. Pray. Seek God’s righteousness.

I came across something that Toby Mac, a Christian musician, wrote called “Practice the Pause” that is helpful.

Practice the Pause

• When in doubt, pause
• When angry, pause
• When tired, pause
• When stressed, pause
• And when you pause, pray

That’s fantastic advice.

Practice the pause. Go to God in prayer. Seek God’s purposes and God’s righteousness.

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).

“For we are God’s handiwork.” The Greek word for handiwork is poiema. This is where we get the word poem or poetry. But the Greek word is better understood as God’s masterpiece or God’s artwork.

Think about that. You are God’s masterpiece. You were created for a purpose – to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.

The psalmist tells us, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful” (Psalm 139:13-14).

Imagine that. The God who created the heavens and the earth, the God who created the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, the God who placed the stars in the heavens, the God who created the beauty of the Milky Way thought that our world needed one of you too! Our world is incomplete without you.

Imagine that!!!

So, here’s what that means. If you have a pulse, you have a purpose. God created you for this day, for this time, for this place so that through you God can demonstrate his amazing goodness, grace, and beauty. You are God’s masterpiece!!!

You are amazing because an amazing God created you.

Now get out there and do what God created you for.