“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4
Joy is knowing that we will be alright, even if the moment is not happy. It’s easy to be happy when things are going our way, and of course we should praise God for the blessings that He gives us. But, how often do we ponder over the things that don’t happen the way we would like?
Recently, a friend shared a challenge to praise God as much as we make requests to Him. Think about this for a minute; when was the last time that you took a moment to say, “Thanks, God!” Moreover, when was the last time we took notice of the small things that go right in our days and not only gave thanks for them, but showed our gratitude through our actions by showing love to those around us? Whether a prayer for a doctor’s appointment was answered with health or the content of your big exam was everything that you studied, give thanks to the Lord!
In no way am I saying that I am perfect and show constant appreciation for the blessings in my life. My hope is that by reading this, we will become more thankful overall. But wait. What about when things don’t go as planned? Do we throw a fit and protest, living in hate and spitefulness?
When I accepted the challenge to praise God more for the daily blessings in my life, I was amazed at how happy I felt. This happiness turned to joy, even as I wondered when something would go wrong. As someone whose heart grows too anxious at times, I accepted that I cannot control the outcome of my circumstances, but by praising God, I can control my attitude by being joyful.
Then, it hit me. I had noticed small occurrences that weren’t exactly how I would have liked; a friend being short when we hadn’t visited in awhile, a teacher not noticing the extra effort on a project, and other interactions that fuel my emotional tank. Then, I received an email stating that I would not be advancing in the selection process for my dream internship. I stumbled upon this internship and found it to describe exactly what I wanted to do. I spent hours perfecting my resume and application. I immediately began to question what I could have done differently and kicking myself for every mistake that I may have made in the interview.
Suddenly, I realized that I was being tested. In my life, I’ve been abundantly blessed with reaching the goals that I have set for myself. So, when I fall short, I wonder what I did wrong. Except, maybe, I didn’t do anything wrong.
Maybe God lead me to this opportunity to deepen my trust in Him. It goes so much deeper than this internship. How many of us fall into the trap of, “I have to ace this project,” or, “I have to act cool around XYZ crowd so they accept me,” or, “I must pursue this crazy opportunity because it’s obviously in front of me for a reason,”? All of those Pinterest quotes about trusting God and persevering? They’re true. While the sting of not being enough for whatever achievement we chase is disheartening, the truth is that we are on the divine road to a place so perfect for us, that we can’t imagine it. Each trial makes us stronger for the next challenge, and we cannot claim our prize without fighting the battle.
When we focus on what’s wrong, we drain ourselves. When we open our eyes to the blessings around us, it is easy to give thanks to God. Although it’s not always our first instinct, we should praise God for strengthening and guiding us through our trials.
