Surviving Trials is Not the Goal

I have never been a good test taker. The absolute dread that overtakes my entire mind and body before a test is overwhelming. The first test I ever took in college resulted in a grade of 48 (yes, out of 100). I panicked. I sat in my chair and sweated through a shirt, my mind went blank, and I made up most of the answers. Unfortunately, the tests continued throughout college. They were guaranteed. The dread? Remained. The major? Changed. The grades? Increased (thankfully!)

James 1:2-4 describes the test of our faith. “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

James does not say if trials come, but when. Suffering is not a glitch in the Christian life; it is part of its design. 

“Count it all joy.”

Some may describe counting our trials as all joy as a naive cheerfulness, but I do not believe that is what James means at all. He isn’t commanding us to smile while our world burns. What he is calling us to is to view suffering through the lens of God’s sovereign purpose. Romans 8:28 solidifies this truth — “We know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” 

The passage goes on to say, “for you know the testing of your faith produces steadfastness”. Steadfastness is not passive endurance, hiding in the corner until the storm passes. The steadfastness that is produced in suffering is attached to a faith that clings to Jesus as the winds howl and the night feels too long. That steadfastness is a process that requires time and refinement to grow and mature. 

“And let steadfastness have its full effect.” This points to the maturing of our faith in the midst of trials. As we suffer, God aims to shape us into the likeness of Jesus, that we may “be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” God is faithful to work in and through us in our trials. In fact, trials are one of His most effective chisels, sanctifying and refining us as we get closer to Heaven. 

Verse 12 of James 1 brings the promise of staying steadfast in suffering into full view — “Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.” The crown of life is not a reward that is earned for suffering perfectly  — it is graciously given to those who love him. We are incapable of having a faith that endures in our own strength, but God, being rich in mercy, is faithful to finish what he began in us. 

Surviving trials is not the goal of James 1:2-4 — beholding Christ through them is.

God is not scrambling around, reacting in chaos to the trials that we experience in this life. He is sovereign. As our faith is tested, we can know that joy is not found in the pain itself, but in the God who stands behind it, working through it, and who promises glory beyond it.

I improved significantly in testing throughout my college career. It was a long road of learning what worked for me, how to study, and that I needed more sleep than the average person. Trials are the same — God sanctifies and refines us to grow our faith and steadfastness through them. Nothing is wasted, and God will be glorified.

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