Welcome, Troubles . . . ?

Read James 1:1-27

2. When troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.
3. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.
4. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.
5. If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking.
6. But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.
7. Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
8. Their loyalty is divided . . . and they are unstable in everything they do. . . .
12. God blesses those who patiently endure testing and temptation. Afterward they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. James 1:2-8, 12

Most people do not welcome the hard lessons of life. “Why do I have to learn this the hard way?” they fume. “Why couldn’t I have just been able to read a good book on the topic?”

James, no stranger to trials himself, urges readers to take the most unexpected attitude when bad times descend. Although his admonishment sounds strange at first, the outcome of doing so is spiritually rewarding. As you read, consider what you are learning from your troubles.

In this passage, James also teaches us how to acquire wisdom; how to handle temptation; and how hearing God’s Word and doing good works go together.

Be glad when you have a bad day—the experience will do you some good, James wrote (James 1:2-4). As uncomfortable as this message is, James is not saying that we should enjoy trials. Rather, he is saying that we should be glad for the good effects that trials can have on us.

A bout of suffering, usually considered a curse, can be a blessing. Suffering through trials teaches many things essential to life—such as how to have patience and endurance. Living through a trial is also the best way to build character.

When troubles come your way, welcome them as teachers, however unpleasant they may be. Take advantage of your bad circumstances by depending on God to get you through hard times. He will not only take care of you, but he will also make you a better person through it.