Online Bible Verses - James Chapter 1: Trials and Perseverance

“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.” James 1:2-3NIV

Easy for James to say. I am not, admittedly, to the point where I jump up and down when things go wrong.

I think, actually, he is trying to convey another message. A message of hope; we can break it down and make sense of it.

Time for a story. My dad is a barber, he has been cutting hair since the age of 13 or so. Now 75, he still works a full week in his shop. When I was little, he used to put moisturizing cream on his hands in the winter, because the cold made his knuckles dry and cracked. He was always taking care of his hands. When we worked in the yard outside, I noticed he also was making sure not to break or hurt his hands. I remember him telling me: “You see these hands? I hurt these hands, and we are *******.” It was a constant concern for him, keeping the equipment in order so eight people could eat.

I am now feeling the same thing. Hurt my left eye pretty bad in my last boxing match at the age of 41. It was too old to be boxing. God, in his wisdom and in His own way, pulled at me to stop and put my long standing dream on the shelf along with my gloves. But I had to do it my way. I was going to fight on ESPN and then this and that. Wrong answer. As has been the case with me, I learned the hard way that my way was not the best way. So I sit here today seeing double as I type. And I worry about my vision, which is degrading as time passes. I make my living with my eyes, have my own family to feed. I know exactly how my dad felt.

So we have trials. This one makes me acutely aware of my dependence on God. I have been told of a doctor at Duke Medical Center, who specializes in fixing injuries like mine. So I am going to see the guy, see if he can fix my eye. My friend at church referred me, he is an ophthalmologist. Says they can pull my eye out of my head, get behind it make some cuts. Sew them back up and I will see straight again. I have been on operating tables before, have been cut up, patched up like Humpty Dumpty and put back together again. Gave dire circumstances to God in faith, and He came through. As I believe He will this time too. So let’s just do it again. I screw up, pay the price, come running back and He is there to clean up the mess.

Learning the hard way is better than not learning at all. And a faith is built which would not have existed without trial.

We all have trials, some we feel cannot be understood by others. But God understands, wants us to lean on Him when we are scared. When we have a trial, He will help us and get us through. In addition, accomplish His work of keeping us aware that He is present in our lives.