Musings on Trials in Life, based on James 1

James chose to be a servant of God. He was a servant doing the work for His master. So often I lose that perspective. I am a servant to do God’s bidding. Now on verse two, Consider it joy when you have trials. Trials, let’s see: a summer cold with a stuffy nose and a bad cough feels like a trial; not being able to be registered in Ukraine and having to pay a fine and getting a big hassle feels like a trial; not being able to go to the bank to get our monthly pay without passports feels like a trial; not being able to send our teammate's container without our passport feels like a trial. And yes, there are times when being so far from our kids and granddaughters feels like a trial. Now I realize that these are all insignificant things – yet, the feelings are actual. But we are told to consider it joy! Count it joy! Why? Because these trials produce endurance. They produce faith that God will see us through.

The perfect result of endurance is to be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. I love verse 5: if you are lacking wisdom, ask of God, He gives liberally to all who ask Him. My trials are here to perfect and complete me. In the process of my trials, if I need wisdom (if???) I am to ask God, and He promises to give me the needed wisdom. How does He do that? First of all, His Word is here in front of me, filled with HIS wisdom. If I’m praying for wisdom and not reading His Word, I will miss out on His wisdom. Along with reading His Word, I need to be meditating on it, applying it, and praying it back to God. Then through the Holy Spirit’s intervention and leading, I will receive still more of God’s wisdom. When my kids were younger, if they wanted to bake something, I might briefly explain the process to them, and then give them the recipe. If they failed to read the recipe, disaster followed (along with grumbling and complaining)! When they were diligent to read the recipe, to understand it and do what it said, coming to me if they had questions, the recipe turned out to be a successful dessert. Trials will come, that’s a given. Learning to lean upon our Lord and His wisdom will pull us through the trials and we will become better followers of Christ.