In Courage and Calling, Smith talks about how to develop “the capacity to respond to the developments around us with strength, . . . the skills to embrace change and new challenges with ingenuity, and . . . [emotional maturity] through difficult setbacks and disappointments” (p.138).
Frankly, to consider life’s hardships and trials with “pure joy” can seem to be an impossible task when compared to how most of us handle problems or adversity. How can be full of joy when life gets hard, painful, or unfair?
A key insight to this verse is to believe that God is kind. Life has a way of either eroding your heart or renewing and developing your heart. It depends on how you actually view God’s heart and intentions towards you. The word actually is emphasized here, because there is a vital difference between what we state as our beliefs and the deeply held and life-formed belief that God is truly kind.
A way of life that reflects James’ words is a life that continues to ask, “What is Jesus up to in this?” This comes from a conviction that God is firmly “for us” as the Apostle Paul declares, and his offering is life to the full.
Sometimes when life gets better, it can also get harder. Better doesn’t always mean “easier.” But, in the end, the deepest parts of us want the better, fuller, and everlasting way of life that God has for us.
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