Storm Warning: Eye on the Sky — Tuesday
James 1:2-4
Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. (NLT)
If you were to ask my friends to describe me, it wouldn’t take long for someone to say, “She has a lot of big feelings.” I’m quite an emotional person. I feel things deeply, and that can be a blessing and a curse. It’s a blessing when I’m experiencing positive emotions. I’m easily amused and can feel like a giddy child when doing something that makes me happy. When I feel negative emotions, I turn into a puddle, losing all ability to hold it together. I ride the highs and lows of life and feel everything. When I feel joyful, there’s no room for sadness, but when I feel sadness, it feels as if there’s no room for joy. Yet, this is contradictory to Scripture. So how do we reconcile this?
We have to remember that joy is not an emotion, and it is not dependent on our circumstances. Joy is a fruit of the Spirit, meaning that it’s a product of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in us. If we have accepted Jesus into our hearts, then we are guaranteed to have joy. This means that despite whatever feelings arise out of the hardships we are facing, we can choose to experience joy because we have a God who loves us and sent His son to die for us.
James encourages his readers not to resent challenges, but to embrace them with joy. The process of enduring trials builds resilience and completeness in faith, ultimately leading to a deeper connection with the Father. This passage serves as a reminder that joy can be found in the most unexpected places, even amidst life's difficulties, and that joy can coexist with feelings like sadness, sorrow, anger, and grief.
Tuesday’s Reflection
Is there anything in your life blocking you from experiencing the joy of the Lord? Take some time to consider if there is, and ask the Lord to fill you with the inexpressible and glorious joy that is the result of the salvation of your soul (1 Peter 1:8-9).