This post goes with the other two posts on James 1:1-8:
Read + Reflect + Respond and Study Helps.
IN MY WORDS
(This is my personal expanded paraphrase of this passage. You could try writing one, too! Give it a shot before you read mine!)
I, James, am a servant of God the Father and of God the Son, whom we also know as the Lord Jesus Christ, the messiah who was sent to save us. I greet all you followers of Jesus from the twelve tribes of Israel. You have been scattered among the surrounding nations because of intense persecution which the church has encountered in Israel. You may have thought you were only running away from danger, but there is also a beautiful flip side to this story. See, you now also have the glorious opportunity to spread the gospel message wherever you roam. The Good News is that because of this, even the Gentiles will be included in the Kingdom of God, not just the Jews!
So try to gain a different and higher perspective of the tough situations that you experience in life. Rather than just sticking it out with gritted teeth, let God fill your hearts with deep and abundant joy for all he is doing within you through this time of testing. As you purposefully persevere in your trials and tribulations, God is using them in a powerful way to make you strong, firm, and mature in your faith.
You will need wisdom, of course! That comes from God, not from your own intuition. Ask him for it, and he'll be glad to teach you! But be sure to have faith when you ask, because if you don't believe God will give you wisdom, you won't be able to receive it from him. You must have a firm confidence in his ability to guide you. Your faith in him shouldn't wobble around and collapse. You can't build any solid life on that flimsy foundation. Instead, you need a sturdy, steady trust that he will provide all the wisdom you need.
HERE & NOW
As I think about these uplifting verses, I honestly see so many ways where I have grown through the trials I have faced in my own Christian life for over four decades. I am a much different person now, a bit mellower in my mature years, and hopefully with much better insight than when I was a teenager. I hope that I persevere with joy more than before, rather than always complaining. I try to "recycle the trash" by taking what I've learned in the School of Hard Knocks and sharing it with others so they can be comforted, equipped, and empowered. This is one way that my trials have borne fruit.
I see that joy isn't about circumstantial happiness when "everything going my way!" (Sing it with me now!) It isn't found in what's going on around me, but what's going on within me. It also isn't pasting a smile on my face when I'm really hurting. We can be authentic humans and feel those negative emotions. Jesus wept. We can too.
I also look back on many misconceptions I have had about these verses. One common perception that some people have is that we are commanded to put up with whatever intolerable situations we find ourselves in. This isn't true!
Yes, there is "stuff" that we can't avoid. But we need to be discerning about situations where we can make choices to improve or preserve our lives while still glorifying God. After all, these Jewish believers fled the persecution in Israel. Their new homes were difficult places to live, too, but they did what they could to thrive and not just survive.
Sometimes after we've done our best to sort out all of the issues and walk in peace, it's time to just walk away, to Disentangle.
"Disentangle"
by Virginia Knowles
When I was a girl of 10 or so
I would sit long with a fat skein of vibrant yarn
Tangled by carelessness or cat
And I would focus my child eyes and
With supple hand, loosen the knots gently
Guide this end through that loop
Look again and plan how to untangle this mess
Delicately
And one by one the knots would clear
I would wind new inches onto my salvage ball
Wedged between my knees to keep it from rolling away
And I would work another tangle and another, satisfied
Then set it aside for later
Times, too, that fibers enmeshed, refused to budge
No undoing that hard and tight knot, no chance of change
No choice but to give it a hard yank, break it right there
Or better yet, find scissors and cut it loose
To go on with disentangling and reclaiming the rest
I think of that now
As I think about these uplifting verses, I honestly see so many ways where I have grown through the trials I have faced in my own Christian life for over four decades. I am a much different person now, a bit mellower in my mature years, and hopefully with much better insight than when I was a teenager. I hope that I persevere with joy more than before, rather than always complaining. I try to "recycle the trash" by taking what I've learned in the School of Hard Knocks and sharing it with others so they can be comforted, equipped, and empowered. This is one way that my trials have borne fruit.
I see that joy isn't about circumstantial happiness when "everything going my way!" (Sing it with me now!) It isn't found in what's going on around me, but what's going on within me. It also isn't pasting a smile on my face when I'm really hurting. We can be authentic humans and feel those negative emotions. Jesus wept. We can too.
I also look back on many misconceptions I have had about these verses. One common perception that some people have is that we are commanded to put up with whatever intolerable situations we find ourselves in. This isn't true!
Yes, there is "stuff" that we can't avoid. But we need to be discerning about situations where we can make choices to improve or preserve our lives while still glorifying God. After all, these Jewish believers fled the persecution in Israel. Their new homes were difficult places to live, too, but they did what they could to thrive and not just survive.
Sometimes after we've done our best to sort out all of the issues and walk in peace, it's time to just walk away, to Disentangle.
"Disentangle"
by Virginia Knowles
When I was a girl of 10 or so
I would sit long with a fat skein of vibrant yarn
Tangled by carelessness or cat
And I would focus my child eyes and
With supple hand, loosen the knots gently
Guide this end through that loop
Look again and plan how to untangle this mess
Delicately
And one by one the knots would clear
I would wind new inches onto my salvage ball
Wedged between my knees to keep it from rolling away
And I would work another tangle and another, satisfied
Then set it aside for later
Times, too, that fibers enmeshed, refused to budge
No undoing that hard and tight knot, no chance of change
No choice but to give it a hard yank, break it right there
Or better yet, find scissors and cut it loose
To go on with disentangling and reclaiming the rest
I think of that now
~~~~~~
How about you? How do you need to handle your life situations?
You might need employment to provide for basic personal and family needs. But perhaps your current job is so stressful that it leaves little time or energy for anything but the work day, and your key relationships are suffering. Maybe your boss or your co-workers are unfair to you, or unethical in their business practices, or presenting you with a strong temptation to immorality. Do you have to stay there? Maybe not! Is there a way you can look for another job at a different company or even just a different department? Can you cut your hours? Can you upgrade your job skills so you can switch careers? If you can find a way out, or even a way to just improve where you are, you don't need to suffer needlessly. It is within this process that you can focus on gaining strength and perseverance to carry you on to the next step.
Are you in ill health? What positive steps can you take to move toward wellness and healing instead of passively suffering? Do you need to make a doctor's or dentist's appointment so that your body can function effectively without as much pain or discomfort? (I just had a root canal this morning, because the aching jaw was a bit of a distraction to me!) Do you need to cut out sugar? (I'm speaking to myself here.) Do you need medication to help with mental illness? Do you need to quit smoking or misusing other substances? There is no shame in seeking medical help for whatever physical or emotional challenges you face. Most wellness changes don't yield instant and complete success. You will need to persevere with the process and not give up if you want to see progress!
Or perhaps you find yourself in a dysfunctional or dangerous relationship, such as one where domestic violence or intense emotional abuse is an issue. Your safety and/or your sanity could be at serious risk. Perhaps your children are being harmed. You should seek professional counseling to assess the situation and your options. You should make a safety plan in preparation to exit the relationship as you find necessary. It's not a popular thing in Christian circles to walk away from a "committed" relationship. You may be counseled to gut it out, to "forgive and forget" or "to turn the other cheek." That sounds pious, but you could be seriously injured or even killed. God does not call us to stay in abusive situations when we can leave. It's hard to move on, but there is help available. Start by calling your local domestic violence shelter or one of these toll-free national numbers.
- National Domestic Violence Hotline: (800)799-7233
- USA Domestic Abuse Hotline: (800)999-SAFE
I have written extensively about the issue of abuse in dating relationships and marriage. You can read some of the articles at these links.
- To the Young Woman with Bruises
- Lynn's Story: A Dangerous Engagement
- Recognizing Pervasive, Poisonous Power in Marriage
- What to Do about Toxic Power in Marriage
- Bonding and Bondage in Abusive Relationships
My friend Susan Moore, mother of 12, has written about the process of escaping an abusive marriage and then recovering in spite of complex PTSD. Here are two of her articles:
Here's a post by Rebecca Davis on the importance of using both our intelligence and our emotions when we think about issues and make our choices. Reason trumps emotions? 90% of evangelicals say yes
One little poem that I think of when I'm making choices is this:
God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
From "The Serenity Prayer" by Reinhold Niebuhr
Yes, we sure do need that "wisdom to know the difference" - discernment from God to know and choose what is right and good in our lives. So many times we jump ahead with whatever religious notions pop into our brains, or what we've been told that "the Bible clearly says..." and then assume that is his wisdom for us. "God told me..." But wisdom is based on the foundation of Scripture, so whatever he supposedly reveals to you needs to line up with that. God is not out to trick you. He wants you to be wise.
To be honest, even after I have been a Christian for over four decades, I still struggle to fully trust God. Part of that cynicism came from realizing that much of what I had been told in churches and Christian movements was based not on God's unchanging wisdom but on faulty interpretations of Scripture. Some of this teaching resulted in the abuse of spiritual influence, which can have devastating effects. So at times, I've had to back up from what I thought I knew in order to reassess what is really true about God. I wrote a little about this in a journal several years ago. You can find excerpts of that here: Soul Musings from an Old Journal.
Writing poetry helps me to restore my faith in God. I linked some of my other poems in the Read + Reflect + Respond post for this passage, but here is another that is related to the passage we have been studying.
To be honest, even after I have been a Christian for over four decades, I still struggle to fully trust God. Part of that cynicism came from realizing that much of what I had been told in churches and Christian movements was based not on God's unchanging wisdom but on faulty interpretations of Scripture. Some of this teaching resulted in the abuse of spiritual influence, which can have devastating effects. So at times, I've had to back up from what I thought I knew in order to reassess what is really true about God. I wrote a little about this in a journal several years ago. You can find excerpts of that here: Soul Musings from an Old Journal.
Writing poetry helps me to restore my faith in God. I linked some of my other poems in the Read + Reflect + Respond post for this passage, but here is another that is related to the passage we have been studying.
by Virginia Q. Knowles
“Lift up your head and laugh!”
He spoke as a prophet.
But what did he know those thirty odd years ago?
What did he know of my future?
I was still so young then
With only a taste of raw and broken
And visions of a whole life open before me
Certainly not knowing quite what to expect
But with dreams and plans nonetheless:
Happily ever after with maybe
A few little bumps along the way…
Why not? And why not laugh?
Life could be, would be, one grand adventure.
It’s been a rather curious life indeed
This grand adventure of mine.
Now I shake my head and laugh
At myself, at how I clung to so much
That prickled and burned and then gave way.
Yet mysteries and marvels
Came to me when least expected
Laughter mixed with tears and sighs
And more than a few bumps along the way
So much good and so much grief mingled in
So much for dreams and plans!
A worthwhile journey still,
Just not how I thought it would be.
It’s not just me, I know
I watch the world walking by
And I try to understand, wonder
Where it is going: out and about
And home again, home again
A million silent stories walking by
A million mingling stories of mourning and mirth.
I have lived long and learned much
And I find myself speaking to the young ones
With their whole lives open before them
The words of the timeless sage
Thirty hundred years ago:
“There is a time for everything…
A time to weep and a time to laugh.”
They have seen me weep, and I will weep again.
But for now, I will lift up my head and laugh.
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