Trials and testings and tribulations and tough times are never fun. Nobody really enjoyed them. It seems strange then to ‘glory in tribulations’ and to ‘rejoice in trials,’ as James writes.
How are we supposed to glory and rejoice in trials?
We can only do it from God’s perspective. Later on in James we will read ‘my brethren count it as all joy when you fall into all kinds of trials. The trying of your faith will bring patience and when patience has done it work you will grow into maturity lacking nothing.'
Here Paul writes similar words about rejoicing in tribulations because they bring perseverance and it brings character which brings about pure hope.
Testings are never fun. I remember a long, long time ago when my little sister was born with one foot turned. The doctors devised a crude brace for her which was simple two baby shoes nailed to a slat facing in opposite directions. I remember her crying bin pain as my mom put her feet in those shoes. It was a long seemingly cruel process. But, when the process was done her feet had been turned properly and she walked normally.
The suffering was temporary – the end result was a normal gait for the rest of her life. Our trials and tribulations are temporary as well. It will be worth it all we can see the why for these time.
So we can rejoice and glory that God knows what He is doing and know that it will one day be worth it.
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