"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds" (James 1:2 NIV)
Whenever I read this verse, the human part of me just can't seem to get past the word "joy". To induce the emotion I'm blogging about, let's say a friend came up to you and told you about a particularly challenging situation and you were to respond that they should consider it "pure joy" that they were going thru it. This is the dilemma I'm blogging about: what does the passage say we should say? Now, no one in their right mind would respond that way. It's the Bible, though, so why not? I think its important to understand why not (in the case of this particular verse, of course).
As Christians, we need to remember when someone shares about a significant life challenge, everything we say is going to affect them one way or the other for Christ; positive or negative. It's the very reason many say the best action is to listen and not solve. That said, why does James seem to be saying we should be joyful in our "jams"?
For all those purists out there, I am NOT mocking the Bible. I am actually making a point. While I said I wouldn't do this, ... the New Testament was written in Koine Greek. The Greek word used here is "cara" (Strong's 5479 - for those that look at this sort of thing) and it means, surprisingly enough joyful.
Now, I'm in trouble. It tells me to "consider it pure joy" when I'm facing troubles, and the Greek Lexicon give me no release. When I looked for its use elsewhere in the Bible, I found one verse that delivered me from my guilt. James 4:9, the very book that gave me this difficult advice, said the following: "... let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom." An antonym - yes! When you use the same Lexicon that let me down the first time and look up the word "gloom" you find its meaning to be downcast or to cast ones eyes down ("katepheia" or Strongs 2726 for all those I have converted to this word study craziness). The opposite of casting your eyes down is casting your eyes up! That I can live with. Yeah! Relief!
My point is that many times when we are trying to project Biblical adherence with disciplines that don't portray authenticity, our witness suffers. Here we are trying to make them feel better with advice that just makes them feel bad or worse guilty. You know, I would like to have a maturity where, when difficulty strikes, I could take great joy in how I know God will work in and thru it, but I am just not there yet. That said, I wouldn't want my witness to reflect that either (since it's not true). Knowing that what I'm really called to do in this passage is to look heavenward for answers is something I can live with. THAT's a habit of holiness I can sink my teeth into. That's a comfort I can convey to others.
Have a wonderful day!
Tim
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