“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). Consider facing trials as pure joy? Paradox! Counterintuitive! We want only a joy that elates us; there is a joy that is not centered in pleasure. Are we there yet? One thing for sure, complaining and griping indicate that we are not. Fretting does not get us there. How do we get there? We get there by surrendering the trials and knowing that the things we are wanting to protest are the very things that are shaping us like our tried and tested Lord.
