James 1:2-5
2 My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3 Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4 But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
This one is so very hard for me. It is not that I don't want to be joyful, but sometimes I can't see myself out of the hole that I seem to be in. You climb a mountain, only to find a bigger one waiting for you on the other side. Sometimes, there really is joy, but often, my spirit only sees the difficulties.
I can honestly say, that if I had to do it all over again, I would probably do most of the same things. I might not wish those trials upon anyone else, but they have helped to mold me and shape me into the person that I am today. If I changed those things, my question would be, would I somehow lose the essence of myself.
I like the person that I have become most of the time. I strive not to hurt others, I volunteer to help, I work hard at improving the lives of others. I still do a lot wrong. I don't want to sound perfect because I am not. I still have days and hours where it takes every bit of my energy just to go to work, and when I come home, I can only fall into bed. There is no strength left for anything else. There are nights when I can't sleep. There are times when the past reaches out and holds me tight in it's grip of "if only's and what if's". Sometimes it gets overwhelming, yet when I look at the person I have become, I am grateful for my trials. They gave me my strengths.
I am not sure that I like working toward patience very much. It always means more trials, but I would like to have patience in faith and understanding. I would like to not need to know everything right this moment. I would like to wait upon the Lord's time. And so, although joy sometimes escapes me, I will look for it in all my temptations and short comings. I believe that Heavenly Father sent us here to have joy. He wants us to find that joy in the midst of whatever place we are in. I don't believe that joy only comes in the life hereafter. I think it is supposed to be for us, here, today.
So today, I am going to find joy in the small moments. In the things I don't want to take for granted. Today, my cup will be full.
This one is so very hard for me. It is not that I don't want to be joyful, but sometimes I can't see myself out of the hole that I seem to be in. You climb a mountain, only to find a bigger one waiting for you on the other side. Sometimes, there really is joy, but often, my spirit only sees the difficulties.
I can honestly say, that if I had to do it all over again, I would probably do most of the same things. I might not wish those trials upon anyone else, but they have helped to mold me and shape me into the person that I am today. If I changed those things, my question would be, would I somehow lose the essence of myself.
I like the person that I have become most of the time. I strive not to hurt others, I volunteer to help, I work hard at improving the lives of others. I still do a lot wrong. I don't want to sound perfect because I am not. I still have days and hours where it takes every bit of my energy just to go to work, and when I come home, I can only fall into bed. There is no strength left for anything else. There are nights when I can't sleep. There are times when the past reaches out and holds me tight in it's grip of "if only's and what if's". Sometimes it gets overwhelming, yet when I look at the person I have become, I am grateful for my trials. They gave me my strengths.
I am not sure that I like working toward patience very much. It always means more trials, but I would like to have patience in faith and understanding. I would like to not need to know everything right this moment. I would like to wait upon the Lord's time. And so, although joy sometimes escapes me, I will look for it in all my temptations and short comings. I believe that Heavenly Father sent us here to have joy. He wants us to find that joy in the midst of whatever place we are in. I don't believe that joy only comes in the life hereafter. I think it is supposed to be for us, here, today.
So today, I am going to find joy in the small moments. In the things I don't want to take for granted. Today, my cup will be full.
No comments:
Post a Comment