Count It All Joy

Percy had faced some pretty hard times. He felt trapped in a loveless marriage. His paychecks barely covered the rent and he was just diagnosed with stage two cancer. He felt like God was punishing him and so he begged for forgiveness and mercy. Percy cried out in despair to God and the only thing he could hear was, "count it all joy." Percy couldn't make sense of this as there as nothing joyous about the trials he was facing. Ultimately he grew weak in his faith.

How about us? How would we handle rejection from those we hold most dear to us? How do we handle lack when we believe we need so much more? How do we handle the physical attack on our own bodies? How do we smile when we feel so much pain? How do we praise when we feel so empty? How do we trust when it seems like everything fails? Moreover how do we endure through what seems like an eternity without losing hope and yes faith?

Well the word of God reminds us in James 1:2  that we must count it all joy when we face trials and tribulations. Why? To the natural man this doesn't make sense, but God often will do things that won't make sense naturally, but God tells us to count it all joy because it is making us into who He wants us to be. Regardless of how it may look hard times cause us to change, it moves us in the direction God has set before us. It perfects our character, strengthens our confidence, and pushes us to greatness!

When we look at it like this why not get excited? Why not count it all joy? Today let us not lose faith or hope, but rather let us strengthen our faith and allow every trial to do it's perfect work: create a flawless vessel for His glory!