Monday Motivation: Consider it Pure Joy

Thanks to a facebook friend's status last night, I've been thinking about James 1:2.  The book of James is possibly my favorite book in the Bible.  I have done a couple of studies on it, and am anxiously awaiting a study by Beth Moore on James.  You've got to love James.  He's a straight shooter, and in a world filled with slick talking, that is refreshing.  If you haven't felt convicted about anything in a while, read James.  It's a great book.  Perhaps one of the most difficult verses to swallow in the whole Bible is James 1:2.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds....

What??  I'd rather complain about my trials, thank you very much!  The chapter goes on to say that your trials will develop your faith, create perseverance and help you become mature.  And, if you think about it, if we didn't have trials, how would we learn patience, compassion, dependence on God?  God really can work all things for our good.

Plus, my trials just seem silly when I watch the footage of what is going on in Japan right now, or think about my friends who have suffered incredible losses this past year...jobs, parents, children.  My silly little trials are almost embarrassing to write about when I think about these things.  So, here's a little Monday motivation for you:

I will consider it joy when I have to do yet another load of laundry...my family has plenty of clothes to wear, and enough clean water to drink, bathe and wash clothes.

I will consider it joy when I have to do the dishes, again,...my family not only has nice dishes, but plenty of food to eat.

I will consider it pure joy when my son rips yet another hole in the knees of his new jeans...he is healthy enough to be a rambunctious, active 8 year old boy.

I will consider it pure joy when my daughter wakes me up in the middle of the night and needs me to help her get back to asleep...she is healthy and safe and has a soft warm bed.

I will consider it joy when the car breaks down...because we have not one, but 2 cars that are fully paid for, and we can still get where we need to go...and God will provide some means to get the car fixed.

I will consider it pure joy when the dog is chewing on my ankles and jumping on the furniture and stealing my lunch...because....hmmm....uh...I'll have to pray about that one a little more.  ;-)

And finally, I consider it pure joy that no matter what we go through in this life, we are loved and cherished by an unchanging God and He is all we need.  Even if I lose everything, I still have Him.