Faith and Endurance

In light of what is happening in the world today, the passage I came across in my Bible study today called to me to share. We are scared, some are struggling financially more so than before, we are pointing fingers and calling names, others are panicking and buying all the TP in the stores, while others are flippant to the situation. We are treading in uncharted territory in our lifetime.

James 1:2-4 (NLT) ‘Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles 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.’

“We can’t really know the depth of our character until we see how we react under pressure. It is easy to be kind to others when everything is going well, but can we still be kind when others are treating us unfairly? God wants to make us mature and complete, not to keep us from all pain. Instead of complaining about our struggles, we should see them as opportunities for growth.

James doesn’t say IF trouble comes your way, but WHEN it does. He assumes that we will have troubles and that it is possible to profit from them. The point is not to pretend to be happy when we face pain but to have a positive outlook because of what troubles can produce in our life. James tells us to turn our hardships into times of learning. Tough times can teach us perseverance. ” Bible, NLT. pg. 2352.

Whether you are facing a job loss right now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re suffering from addiction, you are physically impaired or you have a chronic disease, you can learn from your plight. I understand that seeing positives in a bad situation is easier said than done, but finding one small thing could lead to seeing more. Be thankful for what you do have; not what you don’t. It is this passage in which I try to live my life and share with others the lesson. In God, I trust.