Nothing seems joyful when going through a trial. It is painful, tiresome, and weary on the soul. Yet the one this that keeps me going is that I may learn something from the situation. At the beginning, it seems like it will never end; and when it is over, there is still some lingering pain. But how else can muscles grow unless they get used and stretched sometimes?

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ~ James 1:2-4 ~

Like running a race, the more you practice and the longer the period, the more endurance you gain. And although the trials are tough, it is how God builds up our spiritual muscles so that we can face even tougher things in our life, especially in the Spiritual realm. In addition to this, we learn. Sometimes we have to learn the same lessons over, but we learn and mature. When we go through struggles, God promises a reward. We will be more mature in our faith, and we will grow closer to Christ. God called us to be joyful, not happy necessarily, during such times. In fact, we may indeed be very sad during a difficult time. Yet we can have joy because we know that God is in control, and giving Him that control gives us the reward of peace.

~ Rose