Good Morning! Hope you all are having a great Thursday so far. Did anyone else experience crazy windstorms last night?? It was seriously SO windy outside our apartment last night. I’m not going to lie and say I didn’t enjoy it—because I did. I love the wind—it reminds me of being out on a sailboat in the middle of Lake Michigan, and that is always a pleasant reminder. Needless to say, we survived the crazy wind, and none of our furniture blew away. However apparently there is a large tree down somewhere in our apartment complex, so it must have been windy enough to blow that down…
Anyways, let me share with you what I read this morning from the book of James.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
James 1:2-4
While this is a fairly popular and commonly known verse, it is full of importance. As Christians, we are guaranteed to face trials and challenges in our lives. There is always going to be someone who opposes us, or a situation that pushes us to our limits. The trials aren’t the important part. The important part is how we handle those trials in our lives. James says we are to consider our trials ‘pure joy’ because in the end they are what cause us to grow as Christians in our walk with the Lord. If we never had any challenges in our lives, do you really think we would grow? Definitely not. The trials, temptations and challenges are necessary in developing us into the people we are in Christ.
So, when you are faced with a challenging situation or a difficult person to love, remember that those trials are for your ultimate benefit. Embrace that fact, and allow God to work in and through every situation in your life-whether it be good or bad. In the end, all those trials you went through will mean something, and you’ll be glad for the lessons you learned along the way.
Well, I’m off to work. Hope you all have a fabulous rest of your day! God Bless:)