Joy Beyond Grit
“My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” –James 1:2–4 (ESV)
I’m jet-lagged as I write this, having just returned to Scotland from visiting my mother in Southeast Missouri. She has Alzheimer’s disease. I was last in my Missouri hometown in 2019. A few months earlier, my father had been arrested for murder. I came to help sort out his legal affairs and to choose a few things from his house to keep for myself before it was all going to be sold or donated. He is now 73 and serving a 60-year sentence.
Murder. Life sentence. Alzheimer’s. “Consider it nothing but joy.”
Since we know the mission of Jesus is to make it possible for us to become truly human in the most healthy and redeemed sense (“you will become perfect and complete …”), “consider it nothing but joy when you face trials” cannot mean “pretend to like it” when your father kills his wife, is given a life sentence, and your mother is struggling with Alzheimer's.
So what is James talking about? Granted that the one who perseveres in trials can experience character development and growth in Christlikeness, how does this happen? What else—besides grit—is at play? Where is the good news of Jesus in this?
Recently in a time of prayer, I sensed a beautiful image related to this. I was lying on my side in a tent on a hiking trip, and Jesus was lying on his side facing me in the tent. The wind and rain blew outside. We rested inside, sheltered, with food and drink. “You’re not going to quit. Rest, eat, drink. Tomorrow we’ll get back on the trail.” In my experience pursuing gospel movements over the last ten years, endurance has had everything to do with fellowship with Jesus.
When I read, “consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials,” my attention cascades over to Paul’s words in Philippians 4: “Rejoice in the Lord always … The Lord is at hand” (vs. 4–5). The whole basis of experiencing joy in the face of difficulties is in the loving and saving presence of God in the middle of these trials (see also Zeph. 3:17). God does not stand at a distance to see if we can somehow make ourselves feel ok and even joyful in the face of painful ordeals. We are not called to be delusional! However, it’s like we know a secret. Our Father meets with us in these trials. Our brother Jesus co-suffers with us in them. His Spirit floods our hearts with his love and buoys us in them. So we can learn to react to trials with a knowing smile, based on our experiential knowledge of meeting with our God inside the trial.
Perseverance is necessary if we are to experience the privilege of witnessing gospel movements first-hand in our ministries. But genuine joy amidst real pain and trials is not something that just happens. It’s in the little things of daily life during the relative calm outside of the trial. Practicing drawing near to God and tuning into his compassionate, loving presence amidst the everyday prepares us for finding joy and persevering in trials. Learning to rest with Jesus in the boat on a calm day prepares us for that stormy day when he mystifies us by asking us not only to endure but to somehow rest in him and experience joy before the ordeal has ended. It’s not just human effort, grit, pull-yourself-up-by-your-bootstraps or fake-it-till-you-make-it. It’s mystical union that fuels the endurance and the joy.
Reflection:
Take a moment to reflect prayerfully on recent trials. Being honest with yourself and the Lord, how are you currently doing at staying tuned into his loving presence amidst the ordeal?
In light of this, how are you preparing yourself on a daily basis for facing future trials?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Ryan Corrigan, his wife Amy, and their three children live in Edinburgh, Scotland, UK. Ryan and Amy joined Novo in 2016 and serve with Novo UK. Ryan’s focus is on finding and helping to develop potential gospel movement leaders and gospel movement teams to serve in the UK, especially in Scotland. In 2020 the Corrigans moved from Moscow, Russia, to Scotland.
