pure joy


James 1: 2-4:  2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

            The word perseverance really jumped out at me as I read these verses. Inside the word we find another word; severe, which never conjures up positive images. We face severe circumstances in life and we are supposed to consider it joy? Not just joy but pure joy? How do we do that?

            I must admit I feel that I have been living through an extended period of testing and persevering has become more challenging. I feel fortunate to just get through some days; so this mandate of joy on top of it seems impossible. The definition of persevere is “Continue in a course of action even in the face of difficulty or with little or no indication of success.” Those last few words put the nail in it “with little or no indication of success”; talk about defeating. All this persevering is going to make me mature and complete but in the mean time I throw temper tantrums to God like a spoiled child.

            Now, look at the opposite side of this, the pure joy part. What brings you joy? What is pure joy? As a Christian my pure joy lies in the fact that this world is temporary and I have eternal life to look forward to. To downscale that it is like having your outdoor summer party ruined by bad weather then being told but Christmas will be wonderful! Yes, eternal life is something to look forward to but it doesn’t change what is happening now. This, though, is how we persevere in joy; remembering that our troubles are temporary. Another inspiration to joy is to recall that God loves us because of who he is and not because of who we are or how we behave, what a relief! So, even on those difficult days when I scream and pout, God loves me. He has called us by name and he loves us… unconditionally…. Pure joy!

 
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