Session Two: Day One- Joy Whenever

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.

James 1:2-3

Trials are not my favorite thing.  In fact I'm sure that there are very few people who say that they just looove going through a trial.  Over the course of my life, I've had the above verse quoted to me more times than I can count, from my mother mainly.  We even had a little cross stitch drawing that hung in the living room.  I would stand in front of it and try my hardest to figure out why in the world God would tell me consider it a happy thing to be going through a hard time.

Given that was the extent of my understanding of these verses up until now, I found it incredibly comforting to read the Greek translations for the word joy.  Swapping out the word "feel" for the word "consider" also helped give me a little more perspective.  When things get difficult, to actually sit and think about what God is trying to teach me or bring to my attention is an entirely different matter than simply trying to grin and bear it.

Jill:  Emily your "grin and bear it" comment was exactly what I was thinking up until now also.  I couldn't possibly understand how I was suppose to feel "pure joy" in my troubles.  Especially when a nun tells it to you.  If you haven't guessed by now, I ended up not completely trusting the nuns and have a negative attitude towards them.  So coming from that background I just couldn't get past that feeling of animosity and understand how am I to feel joy.  Well after reading what Beth had to say about how we cant be complete until our patience grows and that cant happen until we go through our troubles.  So I guess if we "consider" being joyful knowing that once we make it out of our troubles we will be a step closer to being complete, gave me an entirely new way to look at it.  I kind of thought of it like 1st learning to ride a bike.  When you do something wrong you are going to fall, and falling hurts, but you learned that if you go to fast around a corner you will fall.  So there is some satisfaction in knowing that after our trials in helps us to be more complete.  So I felt like I was rambling there.  

I also really identified with the idea of "falling into" troubled times.  There are so many situations in life where we aren't looking for trials but they seem to find us anyway.  In fact I would say the most painful, hurtful, devastating times in my life happened when things actually seemed to be going along just fine.  

The question of the day is, What does the testing of your faith give you?

Scripture tells us right in these first four verses of James, that it brings maturity and completeness.  I have to say though, that even looking back and being able to see where God has brought me through situations and grown my faith and my maturity both, I did not enjoy those situation.I know that He always has a plan, but I don't always like walking the path


Jill:  I agree with you 100% Emily.  Looking back I'm glad I am more mature and more complete, but I hope I never have to go through all that again. 

Lisa: I was wondering today, as I pondered the question and the answer, how many times I have not responded with joy - not even "considered" the idea of joy, and was "content" to go through my trial with Bitterness, Anger, Resentment, Contentment, etc?  If that is how I chose to respond to my trial, did I grow?  Am I now more mature, more complete?  I would venture to say no.  Then, is it possible that because of the way I CHOSE to react, and did not Persevere through my trial, and did not learn anything, do you think I have to do it over, in another circumstance, that will allow me to make another choice, so that God can help me mature?  I mean, He has a plan for me, right?  He wants me to become more mature and more complete, so wouldn't I have to "suffer" until I mature?


Jill:  Lisa you have me worried.  I sure hope I learned from my past and the trails and misfortunes I went through.  No I wasnt happy about it at the time, I'm happy now looking back as I feel I gained something from it.  But you have me pondering.....

I think we are always going to have trials, because here on earth we won't ever be as mature and perfect as we will be once we are in Heaven.  Probably if we don't learn those lessons, another situation will come up and give us a chance to work on it some more.  Honestly, when I was daily dealing with my temper towards my children, it felt like every day was a trial.  Now that I have a better understanding of how God wants me to react in situations and am spending more time in His word and asking Him for some calm before I address issues (instead of lashing out) it almost seems like the kids don't push my buttons as much.  Does that even make sense?  But I think if it were still a huge struggle for me, situations for me to practice self control would still come up. 

Beth asks us to think about a situation where you feel like you are walking through a trial and list three ways that you could handle that situation.  The list in my margins looked like this:

Attending a new church 

*Resentment

-This could lead to me not serving the Lord

because of allowing hurts from our old church

to fester and become stronghold.

*Gossip

-Talking negatively about anyone or anything

in regards to the old church could lead to me

blaming others that we had to leave, keeping

me from plugging in to the new church and 

growing more in my faith

*Embrace

-Being open to what God has planned for

me and my family at our new place of worship

allows for the possibility of growth, 

servant hood and change for all of us.


Jill: My work issues with my co worker:
Anger
Becoming Rude or resentful.  This actually could make the situation worse, it could cast
a negative light on me.  In 5 years it could spiral out of control and I could just become a bitter
angry person who has alienated myself from everyone.
Jealous
I could become so jealous that I just quit my job, and in 5 years that could be terrible, who knows
what the economy could look like in 5 years and I could be in some serious financial problems.
Embrace
I could embrace what James said to consider and try to think of it as a growing process.  In 5 years

difficult situations and will be more complete.


I like the last one best.  I like how she had us do that exercise.  It really put things into perspective for me.

Lisa: Staying or Leaving the current church we attend

Leave Now
-Without God's blessing to leave, we would not be acting in His will.  We would therefore be somewhat lost and wandering around - I'm imagining a situation like the Israelites wandering for 40 years in the desert because they tried to take control.

Wait it Out and be Miserable and Complain while we Wait
-I think I'm currently guilty of this one.  Neither Anthony nor I feel like it's time to leave, although we both feel like it is right to leave.  By behaving this way, it will create a constant wear and tear on our bodies, minds, marriage, and family.  Plus, who likes a complainer (Sorry Emily for dragging you down with the Highpoint drama...)

Wait Patiently
-Obviously this is the "right" answer.  I'm excited to share this with Anthony, and I'm sure he'll be relieved to hear me say this.  I don't know that I can act joyful about remaining in our current situation, but knowing that this is where God desires us to be right now does bring a sense of peace.  By waiting on His perfect timing, we will remain in God's Will, and our faith will grow.  And, as we've learned, we will become mature, complete, and will lack nothing.
 

Of these things obviously embracing the situation God has called us to is the best choice and because we have been through enough trials to know that God always has a plan, we are choosing to attend our new place of worship with a sense of anticipation and excitement.  

Best piece of new information for Day One for me?  That James is another name for Jacob!  


Jill:  Man I kind of freaked out when I read that about the James/Jacob thing.  Reuniting the 12 tribes.  WOW.  I love how James uses word play to really hammer home his message.  And we are only up to the 4th verse!!!!!    I also think I figured out why that last day we did was so important, she was really hammering home how "Jewish" James was.  I like how she showed us that James assumed that all the Jews would become Christians, and that this letter was written to that group of people.  I can see where she was going with that.  Granted I don't have a total grasp on it, but I think I'm getting closer.  LOVE LOVE LOVE this study.  

Lisa: I thought this was pretty incredible too!  I find it fascinating that Jacob is the more "Jewish" name, and yet we refer to our author as James, even though he's the most "Jewish" of them all!  I loved how Melissa pointed out that James is named not only after the famous patriarch, but also after Joseph's father - which may have been somewhat customary of the time - to name the oldest son after a member of the family.  I know that Jesus was Mary's firstborn, but James was Joseph's first son.  Jesus came to them already named, whereas Joseph got to choose a special name for his son.  I wonder if James had a special place in his father's heart, knowing that the oldest boy in the house was not his flesh and blood?  I also thought it was interesting when Beth pointed out that both the Old Testament Jacob and our New Testament James struggled with their older sibling...