I’d just finished bending over under the hood of my car for
about two hours trying to diagnose why it was stalling out at stoplights and
getting progressively worse day by day. I know almost nothing about cars, and
aside from gaining a new appreciation for mechanics and the physical toll that
their bodies must take, those two hours were highly ineffective.
*Start the car…idle for a couple minutes, and then…silence.*
My throttle body and various air intake components were now cleaner than they’d
been in years (thanks YouTube!), but my car still didn’t run and certainly couldn’t be trusted to
take me places.
Frustrated, I went inside to go back to the drawing board
and look up the number for the mechanic I’d been meaning to try the next time
we had issues.
And, loading…loading…loading…"PAGE UNABLE TO LOAD."
 |
| mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/black-bears-take-photos-real-2353023 |
…You’ve gotta be
kidding me! I thought the new modem we got was supposed to fix this! NOTHING is
working like it should today! If it’s one thing it’s TEN! I just want to throw
this thing across the room!...
These were admittedly silly things that are both foolish and
incredibly meager compared to what the rest of the world deals with on a daily
basis, but it’s amazing how something as small as a bad internet connection or
a car that’s not running properly can completely disrupt and pile stress onto
our busy lives.
Studying the book of James the past month more closely than
I’ve ever studied any particular book of the Bible before has been an amazing
experience. I’ve seen Scripture in new and fresh ways that have deeply impacted
me and helped me to think about life differently. I’ve also had… we’ll call
them “opportunities”… to apply some of the things I’ve been learning.
In the back of my mind I was thinking about the passage from
James 1 that says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you encounter
trials of various kinds.”
In the days
leading up to this one, I could've told you that “consider” is a verb of thought
instead of emotion, that it’s better translated “pure” joy than “all” joy, and
what kinds of trials James might have been referring to – but I hadn’t been
forced to put my fancy Greek skills into practice.
Until now.
They were silly trials, but they were trials nonetheless.
So why should
I consider my terrible internet connection and barely-running car “pure joy?”
Going back to last summer, why was having that same car broken into and
multiple windows smashed an opportunity to consider it “pure joy?” Why was my
broken ankle in September an opportunity to consider that trial “pure joy?”
Because trials can lead to life that’s
more abundant and full than we ever imagined.
...but they can also lead to death.
On the one
hand, “Blessed is the person who
endures a trial because having stood the test they will receive the crown of life which was promised to those who
love Him.”
Trials…endurance…LIFE.
On the other hand, “Then after the desire (to sin in the
midst of a trial) has been conceived, it gives birth to sin, and the sin when fully grown gives birth to
death.”
Trials…desire…sin…DEATH.
In that moment I thought of these three verses. I could
allow myself to get so frustrated that I would be abrasive and short with my
wife when she came home, or I could see my trial, however foolish it might have
been, as an opportunity for God to work on my character and mold me into the
man that He intended for me to be.
I don’t always choose wisely in moments like these but by
God’s grace I chose the latter, had a great evening with my wife, and learned
some valuable lessons about myself. (And an update on the car: it now runs
better than it has in a couple years and was a fairly cheap fix! And at the
very least, I learned some things about cars and found an awesome new mechanic!)
Perhaps it’s moments like these that provide opportunities
for small “dress rehearsals” for when more significant trials come. If I fail
to allow God to use a trial as miniscule as my internet or car not working to
mature my faith and I instead choose to sin, how will I ever be able to respond appropriately if I get a bad diagnosis from a doctor at some point in the
future or I suffer the loss of a loved one?
So we have a choice – whether it’s the internet not working,
our car stalling out at stop lights, or something more serious like being laid
off from work or facing financial difficulties or health problems.
We can allow our trials to lead us into sin and eventually
death, or we can consider them “pure joy,” knowing that they will produce
endurance in us and will lead to full, abundant, eternal life.
-CK
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