“Count it all joy when you fall into various trials.” (James 1:2)
Count it joy when we fall into trials? Really? It sure is hard to count it as joy when we are suffering, or isolated, or unable to attend church services, or separated from our families and loved ones. Joy? Yes, that is what St. Iakovos (James) says.
In truth, most of us don’t respond to crisis that way. Most of us are struck with fear and anxiety. Sadly, that may speak to how weak our faith is.
St. Iakovos, a pillar of the Church, was not naïve. He faced greater challenges then any of us will ever face. And still, he exhorts us to count it joy when faced with trials. He teaches us that we ought to see in the challenges we face an opportunity for growth, spiritual growth. A response of prayer, faith and trust will make us a better person and bring us closer to God. Those who tend to look for fault in how others react, or blame someone for the problem, and focus on what others should do to make things right can lead down a slippery slope—a slope that can spiral into resentment, recrimination and retaliation. Seems like this slide is more akin to falling away from spiritual growth. That kind of response separated us from God. That, my friends, is what St. Iakovos is warning us about.
Our fears are legitimate. No one questions that. St. Iakovos was well aware of that. How we respond is what really matters. We Christians turn to God in faith. We cannot in our prayer question His ways, as if to suggest His creation is somehow flawed and so He must be responsible for the bad stuff. Such a prayer is wrongly asking Him to correct this mistake. Rather, should we not simply bring our troubles to Him, lay our fears and anxieties before Him. He is good. He is just. Simply, ask Him to help us to continue to grow and mature no matter what confronts us. We cannot freely choose to dwell on fear and allow it to control our life. Would it not be better to let Him control our lives?
How can we escape this destructive pattern of dealing with our challenges and uncertainty? The answer lies in simply focusing on our own hearts and our relationship with God. He is good and will not abandon His sincere and faithful children, though His answers may be different than we expect or want. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4)
When we realize that God knows what is best, and loves all His creation; and that knowing God is our highest priority, and finding our fullest satisfaction in His love is our highest desire, then we are able to put any difficulty and challenge into the proper perspective.