I was recently reading some familiar verses found in James 1:2-4 where the Bible tells us to “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

I imagine that most of us can agree that trials don’t bring joy. And these verses don’t merely use the word joy, but they say “pure joy.” That takes joy to a higher level. And it tells me that the joy we find should be deep inside of us. How can this be possible when we are facing a difficultly?

The key is to keep our attention on the Lord. No matter what we are facing, He is with us and He allows difficulty to come into our lives. He is not surprised when something hits us. He knew it was coming. And He promises to never leave us, nor forsake us. When we cling to Him, we can trust that He will get us through anything and everything.

Before trials come, it is important to establish a solid relationship with God. Day by day, we spend time with Him. As the days, weeks, and months go by, we will see our relationship grow and strengthen. This builds our trust in God. We come to realize that He truly has our best interest in mind.

Then when a difficultly does come, we can face it with joy. We will know that the Lord allowed this for a purpose. Perhaps He is growing us to become more like Jesus. Or perhaps this difficulty is strengthening us.

At my full-time job, I create reports with a lot of data and compliance numbers for my customers. At times it can be difficult to get these reports to work the way I want them to. There have been many times when I was frustrated and prayed for wisdom. But as I look back on my years in this job, I am amazed at how each difficult task was a stepping stone. Each time I had an assignment on my plate, I learned something new. And task by task, my knowledge continued to grow. I recently had to tackle an urgent request within only a few hours. If I had this task years ago, it would have taken me several days. But thanks to the projects I had faced before, I was able to get the report out in record time.

This reminds me of how difficulties are in life. We face many things that make us uncomfortable or frustrated. Yet each time we press through, we learn and grow. Then, down the road, when something bigger comes our way, it is easier to tackle. And then we truly can look back at our past difficulties with pure joy, because we can see how God used them to strengthen us and mold us.

Thank you for reading!