Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds (James 1:2 NIV).
It sounds so unreasonable. Joy not in spite of a hardship but because of it? Is that really what God wants from us?
Apparently it is. James offers one reason: trials produce perseverance in our faith, which has rewards far greater than the absence of trials could give us. Jesus gave another reason when the hardship is persecution: the reward in heaven is great for those who are slandered and oppressed for their faith. In any case, lives rooted in eternity are never set back by trials. We are propelled by them. In the grand scheme of things, they do wonders for us.
So whatever you’re facing today, rejoice—not superficially, but because you have treasures beyond anything your eyes can see in immediate circumstances. Your life is rooted in eternity, which measures all situations differently than human standards do. Faith in Christ turns all things—every single thing—to your advantage, no matter how bad it appears. And that’s well worth celebrating.
