Consider it PURE Joy?

Recently I pulled out the classic, Jesus Calling, and placed it on the coffee table in the center of our living room. I have found it to be a refreshing read to me at all the right times. While it may not be what I study in depth on a daily basis, it truly does speak to me at the moments I feel “Jesus Calling” me for a moment alone with Him.

I have read James 1:2 many times over the past 25 years yet it never seems to lose its impact or wonder.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, 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

James seemingly takes the most challenging circumstances of our lives and turns them on their heads, encouraging us to reframe our trials as a cause for joy…. a gateway to growth… an opportunity to overcome.

But in order to have these benefits from our hardships there is somewhat of a precursor….

We must first… “Consider.”

By definition consider means “to think about carefully with regard to taking some action, to take into account, To treat in an attentive way, to gaze on steadily or reflectively; to deliberate .

I know when trial comes our way, I go into fight or flight…. hitting my knees or sometimes the pavement, trying to get some forward movement AWAY from the situation.

You know the “GOD GET ME OUT OF THIS” type of vibe.

But James implores us to do the opposite.

“Consider for a moment…. to see this as a reason to rejoice.”

Considering, reflecting, gazing is a slow and attentive practice; one that is counterintuitive in crisis. But it is in this “stopping” that we reframe and enter into our dependency on the Father.

The first “action” in hardship isn’t very active at all… instead it is a slow surrendering to the gift of spiritual maturity available to us in the trial.

So today… as I reflect on the devotional in Jesus Calling, AND the hardships I face in my own life, I invite you to enter into the soft space of “considering” with me. Let us, together, see the troubles we face as an opportunity for great joy.