“Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.” James 1:2-4 (NLT)
I love the way this passage starts out—because it can really just throw you off and make you scratch your head. Like, how could one possibly consider their troubles an opportunity for great joy?
James is encouraging people to rethink how they look at their troubles—by viewing them as opportunities instead of setbacks. He’s saying that each time our faith is tested, it just keeps increasing our ability to exercise patience and remain steadfast in the face of adversity more and more. Our trials are used as tools to strengthen our faith and better equip us for anything else that may lie ahead. When you understand this and really start to apply it to your life, everything changes.
There is always a deeper purpose behind your pain than what you can immediately see happening. You’re not just suffering, you’re transforming.
My Light for My Lord 