Joy In Trials | Qualities of Women Who Trust Jesus
“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.” — James 1:2-4
Joy takes on different shapes and sizes to fit the season you’re in. Sometimes it looks like the smile you can’t wipe off your face. Sometimes it looks like just breathing.
When the hurricane of a cancer diagnosis blew into my life, joy remained present like the roots of a tree. Deep underneath, keeping me standing. Not necessarily at the surface where it could be seen, but still there, holding everything together.
In the days after my surgery — double mastectomy and reconstruction— pain was a constant, but so was joy.
Joy was the compassionate look on three little faces when I came home from the hospital.
Joy was batches of hummus chicken salad made by a friend.
Joy was getting my hair blown out and straightened by my mom.
Joy was comfy PJ’s, Hallmark movies and the recliner I borrowed from my aunt. (I slept in that thing for 3 weeks straight!)
Joy was the orange prescription bottles that brought relief.
Joy was my husband putting on the right song at just the right time when the pain doubled up— the tears of that moment weren’t from the pain but from the sensation of being deeply known and deeply loved.
Joy was Immanuel, God with us, so near to me right there in my living room, right there in my heart, whispering words of strength to fortify my soul.
Life holds such a vast array of troubles for us. An endless assortment of heartache, temptation and suffering. Trials of many kinds is how James describes it. Maybe we would be less shocked if he challenged us to be strong in our trials or to have courage. But to consider it pure joy when we face trials? What on earth does that look like?
Here are three suggestions of what JOY looks like in a trial:
1.) Joy looks like acceptance, not resistance.
To know God’s goodness is to know joy. When we feed our souls with the nourishment of scripture, the truth of God’s good intentions becomes a part of us. Every time doubt busts through the door, we name it for what it is and go back to scripture. Keeping God’s character at the forefront of our minds— His goodness, His love, His power over sin and death— makes it possible to accept the unfavorable circumstances in our lives. If God was not good, we would be right to resist, but his goodness melts our pride and compels us to accept all things from His hand— the happy things and the hard things. We face adversity with acceptance because we know He will prove to be good in the end.
2.) Joy looks like readiness, not denial.
When you’re leaving for a trip, you can put off packing all you want, but if you’re not ready when the time comes, you’ll regret it. (Have you ever had that stress dream that you’re on a trip and you realize you forgot to pack your bags? Horrible!) Some of the trials we endure catch us by surprise, and as a form of protection, we try to pretend that it’s not happening. We don’t want to think about it. We don’t want to talk about it. We’re in denial and we’d like to stay there, thank you very much. But reality is that our trials are typically not a one-and-done deal; usually they take us on a journey of hardship, where the road contains rough terrain and hostile conditions. Joy affords us the strength to ready-up. We trust that God is with us every step of the way, and that He has all the resources we need. We stay close to Him, preparing ourselves every morning for that day’s portion of the trek, finding pleasure in the small joys along the way.
3.) Joy looks like eyes up, not head down.
One way to walk through a trial is with head down, defeated and convinced that the future is grim. That will only get us so far until we break. But the gospel rushes in and course-corrects our victim mentality. Eyes up, Sister! Look at what lies ahead of you. You have a rich inheritance as a daughter of the Most High God. You have an eternity of significance and satisfaction waiting for you, all the sweet without any of the bitter. And not only that, but even now, your difficulties have purpose attached to them. God is expertly crafting you, using the trial as a tool in His hand to uniquely shape and mature you. Keep your eyes up, looking past the pain and ahead to the perseverance He’s forging inside you. The work He’s doing within you is far more significant than the discomfort happening around you.
Sisters, we are a tribe of women who face trials head-on. We don’t cower or spend our energy resisting. We don’t sit in denial, and we don’t keep our heads down. Instead, we accept the happy things and the hard things with trust in a good God. Eyes up, we make ourselves ready for the journey ahead. And because God is with us, forming beautiful things in us, we are joyful!
For Your Journal
Find It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a Bible verse. You can find a verse that fits a current life situation or use the one we used in today’s devotion.
“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.” — James 1:2-4
Fix It:
In this portion of your journal, pull out a few key words from the verse you chose above, or summarize the verse in your own words. Write it in pretty lettering or sketch something that will help you visualize the meaning of the verse and fix it in your mind. Repeat these words to yourself throughout the week to remind you of the truth contained in the scripture. Here are some options:
Find the Joy
Pain —> Perseverance
…because you know…
Feel It:
In this portion of your journal, write out a prayer. The goal is to absorb the meaning of the Bible passage and let it take root in your heart. Ask the Lord to let his word change you by the power of his Spirit so that you begin to feel like the new person you’re becoming in Christ. Surrender any areas of your life that you are trying to control.
Dear Jesus, as much as I don’t like it, trials are an inevitable part of life. Help me to stay close to you so I’ll be ready when they come. May I face difficult parts of the journey with acceptance and readiness, keeping my eyes up and forward toward who you are and what you’re doing. I want to trust that you have good things in store, even when painful circumstances come my way … but some days it’s really hard. Help me to believe that you’re using the trials in my life to form beautiful things in me for the sake of your kingdom. Let these truths sink deep into my heart today and bear the fruit of lasting joy! Amen.