² Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,³ for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.⁴ And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

James 2:2-4

I’ve been focusing over the last few weeks of memorizing Matthew 5, and it’s really hard. The thing about memory is those words are always echoing in my head when I’m working, driving, and even at the store when I’m shopping. Those words seem to just be marinating in my soul.

Over the weekend I’ve been memorizing Matthew 5:38-42, where Jesus is talking about not retaliating, but James writes that we need to count it as joy, when we meet trials. That is really hard, to say, Yes my wife left me and I don’ t know why exactly, but I’m to count it as joy? When friends are suffering with cancer and are dying, they are to count it as joy?

But the focus of all this is here and now, but bad things happen, and God allows them to happen, but He allows them for a reason. I trust that God is Sovereign over all this universe, even my innermost feelings. He is allowing this to happen to make me into something He wants me to be.

Think about the potter who is turning the clay, and has he molds it he punches it down to make it pliable, and then he tears it apart, to reform it into something wonderful. I am the clay, and he is the potter. If I’m hard, he can’t mold me, but as he breaks me down, I know that he has the best design.

When we experience grief, suffering, pain, evil… We can count it all joy, not because of some Pollyanna view of the world, but because we know that all these trials have eternal consequences. Our view must change to the eternal, are there souls in peril, how will my response to this trial save them?

When bad things happen, I need to surrender to the Lord, and truly allow him to rule my life.