Pure Joy???
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 (NIV)
My baby daughter's body jerked and twitched as seizure after seizure wracked her tiny frame. The paramedic's hands looked absolutely enormous against her skin as he worked over her. I tore my eyes from the nightmare before me and glanced around the crowd of people standing in my kitchen-the emergency squad team, my husband, a church member who had heard the call on her scanner and had come over to give us support-all standing over my baby who I was sure was only minutes from death. As I wandered through the daze of the next few hours, focusing only on my daughter, God surrounded me with His people. I didn't know it, but Christians all over the community were in prayer for our family. My precious sister left her small son with a friend and drove an hour and a half to bring me a sandwich and to hang out with me in the hospital. My mother-in-law came to stay with my toddler. God allowed me to go through this trial, but not without friends and family by my side.
This past weekend, I attended a Circle of Friends women's conference which happened to be in my area. (By the way, it was the first one I've been to and it was awesome!!) The speakers talked about the trials in their lives and while they were all very different kinds of trials, they each had something in common-the women learned something from these trials. And not just something they thought about for a few seconds and then forgot-these trials were major, these trials were something to dwell on over and over again-and so the lessons learned from these hardships were something that was going to stick.
I had to think about how often I sidestep unpleasantness. How I abhor emotional discomfort and sadness and problems. Anything that mars the smooth sailing of my life, I try to avoid with a passion. Unfortunately, life is not all fun and games. And the problems are not all little ones. Although I'm sure not out to look for trials to go through, thanks be to God, when they come they don't have to be a wasted, miserable experience. God can use them to make me like Him, to make me grow into the person He desires me to be. So do I now consider trials to be "pure joy" like it says to do in James? Um, well...no. But hopefully, with God's help, I'm moving in that direction.
What did I learn from my particular trial? I learned that God will not leave me to flounder on my own. He will surround me with His presence and the presence of others. I learned that even when I am not thinking of Him, He is thinking of me. I learned that our children's lives are a precious commodity, not to be taken lightly. And as I watch my daughter, now a vibrant, spunky 13-year old, I appreciate her all the more.
Precious Lord, I thank You for the trials You send our way. I thank You for the lessons we learn from them. When we must endure trials, I pray that you will help us to remember that You do not leave us to go through them alone, but that You will be there with us.
My baby daughter's body jerked and twitched as seizure after seizure wracked her tiny frame. The paramedic's hands looked absolutely enormous against her skin as he worked over her. I tore my eyes from the nightmare before me and glanced around the crowd of people standing in my kitchen-the emergency squad team, my husband, a church member who had heard the call on her scanner and had come over to give us support-all standing over my baby who I was sure was only minutes from death. As I wandered through the daze of the next few hours, focusing only on my daughter, God surrounded me with His people. I didn't know it, but Christians all over the community were in prayer for our family. My precious sister left her small son with a friend and drove an hour and a half to bring me a sandwich and to hang out with me in the hospital. My mother-in-law came to stay with my toddler. God allowed me to go through this trial, but not without friends and family by my side.
This past weekend, I attended a Circle of Friends women's conference which happened to be in my area. (By the way, it was the first one I've been to and it was awesome!!) The speakers talked about the trials in their lives and while they were all very different kinds of trials, they each had something in common-the women learned something from these trials. And not just something they thought about for a few seconds and then forgot-these trials were major, these trials were something to dwell on over and over again-and so the lessons learned from these hardships were something that was going to stick.
I had to think about how often I sidestep unpleasantness. How I abhor emotional discomfort and sadness and problems. Anything that mars the smooth sailing of my life, I try to avoid with a passion. Unfortunately, life is not all fun and games. And the problems are not all little ones. Although I'm sure not out to look for trials to go through, thanks be to God, when they come they don't have to be a wasted, miserable experience. God can use them to make me like Him, to make me grow into the person He desires me to be. So do I now consider trials to be "pure joy" like it says to do in James? Um, well...no. But hopefully, with God's help, I'm moving in that direction.
What did I learn from my particular trial? I learned that God will not leave me to flounder on my own. He will surround me with His presence and the presence of others. I learned that even when I am not thinking of Him, He is thinking of me. I learned that our children's lives are a precious commodity, not to be taken lightly. And as I watch my daughter, now a vibrant, spunky 13-year old, I appreciate her all the more.
Precious Lord, I thank You for the trials You send our way. I thank You for the lessons we learn from them. When we must endure trials, I pray that you will help us to remember that You do not leave us to go through them alone, but that You will be there with us.
Janine Miller
Labels: Janine Miller
posted by Becki at
12:01 AM
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