It’s not unusual for famous people to be interviewed about tough times in their lives. Often an interviewer will ask questions about the most personal things that a well-known person has gone through, and usually we will hear some strain of this philosophy come through: “I wouldn’t change anything that’s happened, because it’s made me who I am today.”
While that concept is almost certainly coming from a humanistic, philosophical place, there is a spiritual reality to it that rings true: God forms us and sanctifies us more through the hard stuff than through the happy times. James speaks to this fact in the first chapter of the letter that bears his name: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).
I don’t believe it’s possible for us to experience pure joy unless we’re also expressing real gratitude. So, how do we reach the sort of spiritual plane where we are capable of being grateful for the hard stuff in our lives? Our vision needs to be different. Not just a slight shift, but a completely, radically different way of thinking about the things that happen in our lives. What if we determined to view everything that goes on, from the biggest things to the most inconsequential, as something that has a spiritual purpose in our lives? Not just any spiritual purpose, though–a righteous and good plan to form us into people who are more like Jesus?
We can’t forget that sanctification is a cooperative process. I’m sure we’d all love to sit back and just hope that God will turn us into someone more godly. But God invites and requires our participation in the growth process after He grants us salvation. Part of the way that He helps ensure that we are participating is by bringing things into our lives that cause us to run to Him, rely on Him, trust Him, and see our need for Him. When we have this perspective, it can help us to shift our gaze from our troubles to the grand purpose behind our troubles. With the Lord’s help, we can look past the struggle before us to see the ways that He will use it to makes us more faithful–people who persevere. People who grow in maturity, whose spiritual vision is sharpened more and more with every difficulty, even the small ones.
But there’s something else we can’t ignore in this verse. James writes about how these tough times test our faith. I want to be faithful to acknowledge that we can’t flippantly expect ourselves or anyone else to sail through hard things. There will be wrestling. There will be a real struggle to face. We will have to confront our feelings and thoughts about who God is and how He operates. We will have to examine ourselves and reach for truth when we’re drowning in doubt. The last thing I want to do is to make it seem like this is an easy place to come to. There’s a reason sanctification is a lifelong project. Growth is slow. Faith is tested. We struggle. We doubt. All this is part of the process of becoming people who trust God more. He will be present through all of it, teaching us in His loving, patient ways, and helping us come out on the other side with a faith that is more resilient than ever–a persevering faith.
Most of us will never have a microphone clipped to our lapel. We’ll never be on a television program where a hard-hitting interviewer is delving into our struggles. But any one of us is likely to be asked how we handle tough times as a follower of Christ. Will those who are watching see pure joy? Will they see a heart posture of gratitude? Will they see a person with spiritual eyes to see the greater purpose behind the hard stuff? Will they see in the way we live and the way we respond that we are spiritually mature, lacking in nothing? I know I’m not there yet. But I hope that I am learning with each difficulty I face how to shift my vision a little more. I want to cooperate with God in my growing up. I want to experience pure joy, the kind that only comes through true gratitude. Thank you, Lord, for the tough stuff. Keep working on me. I’m Yours.
I love hearing from you!