“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds...”

James 1:2

You’re not alone if you read these words from James and find yourself wondering, How is that even possible?

The idea of having joy in the midst of trials feels more like an indictment than an encouragement. We want to find the silver lining, we want to be able to say we have faith that everything is going to work out, but we can’t seem to muster up the cheery disposition that makes other Christians seem so unflappable.

And so we hide our pain. We disguise it. We walk into church on Sunday morning with a big smile and an “I’m doing fine,” when all the while our souls are slowly being crushed beneath the weight of our suffering.

Even though his words have often been misused and misunderstood, James writes with the tender, compassionate heart of a pastor longing to encourage the weary, struggling sinner. He writes to show us how we can indeed find joy in the midst of tribulation by coming together in gospel unity with our brothers and sisters.

Trials will come, but James helps us find the strength, comfort and perspective we need to persevere by anchoring us in the object of our faith: Jesus Christ.