For many of us in our culture, hardship is an interruption to our comfort. For others in our culture and in many other cultures, hardship is the norm that comfort very rarely, if ever, interrupts.
For us as believers, hardship should not just be viewed as a simple interruption to our normal lives, but as an opportunity to grow closer to Christ, as we lean into Him, trusting that the story He wrote for us is good and that He is faithful.
“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
“Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Romans 5:3-5
So how can we rejoice in the face of troubles? Rejoicing isn’t a natural instinct during a struggle. We tend to focus on the hardship and pain; ultimately, taking our eyes off Jesus—the One in whom we can find rest, peace, and hope. God tells us in His Word that struggle produces perseverance, character, and ultimately maturity and hope. Some struggles last days, months, or even years, but, we can struggle as we lift up and rejoice in the hope we have in Jesus.
Hardship can also be considered a gift because it has the capacity to make us more like Christ, who was “acquainted with grief and familiar with sorrows.” (Isaiah 53:3)
Because Jesus was fully man and fully human, He experienced everything we experience today. The loss, the hurt, the shame, and so much more. Hardship grows our dependence on Him, and that dependence ultimately strengthens our faith.
Perhaps you are in a particularly hard season right now. The death of a loved one; an unexpected job loss; news that has shaken you to your core. Rather than asking him to remove the pain, thank Him for the opportunity to fellowship with Him in His suffering and take heart that He is using it to mature you.
Rejoice. Embrace. Grow. Then spread the joy that Christ has gifted you and share with others where your strength and hope are found.
