“Happy are those who remain faithful under trials, because when they succeed in passing such a test, they will receive as their reward the life which God has promised to those who love him.” James 1:12 GNT
I don’t like difficult seasons. There was a time when I believed that if you’re not happy, you’re not doing what you’re supposed to do. I was so wrong.
Trails are not happy seasons. When in a trial, all you want to do is jump out of it. You just want to go back to the way things were before so that you can rest and have peace of mind.
But that’s the thing; God doesn’t want us to return to how things were. He wants us to move forward to how this can be. To do that, we must pass through something.
Imagine two seasons as two slices of bread. The trial is the filling in the middle. That filling can get messy if the sandwich isn’t correctly done. But when you finally take a bite of the whole sandwich, the messy filling in the middle no longer matters because you’re enjoying the sweetness of life.
The joy of adding filling to a sandwich is the eating that’ll happen once the next slice of bread is placed on it. I want to spend only a little bit of time filling my sandwich. I want to eat it already.
This is why James 1:2 says, “Count it all joy…” We know what’s ahead when the trial ends and can be joyful through it.
How can we endure trials at work?
I’ve had annoying clients, a demanding boss, failed projects, shaky finances, leadership struggles, failed businesses, lost investments, you name it. But when I look back and bite the sandwich, I realise that the filling (trial) was necessary.
As an entrepreneur, I’m building a new company, and in one year, the trial is stressful and crazy. I’ve wanted to jump out many times. I’ve tried to end it all and return to how things used to be.
But when I remember the big bite I’ll take from the sandwich, I stay in the filling phase. I have also realised that such seasons draw me closer to God, which is God’s intent.
Nothing happens by mistake. And while we’re complaining about our trials, God is asking us to come to Him so He can whisper to us why the trial exists.
Raw gold has to pass through fire and let go of weakness and impurities before becoming pure gold.
The reward of enduring trials is the life God has promised. What does that mean to you? It’s the life where I become all God wants me to be. And I can’t wait to take a bite of that.
“I endure current trials with joy.”
What trials are you going through today? What reward are you looking forward to soon? What life do you want to take a massive bite of?
Joy gives us strength to move forward (Nehemiah 8:10). Joy is simply a state of heart that stems from trust in God. So, trust God today that this trial is working for your good.
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