"Consider it wholly joyful, my brethren, whenever you are enveloped in or encounter trials of any sort or fall into various temptations.
Be assured and understand that the trial and proving of your faith bring out endurance and steadfastness and patience."
James 1:2, 3
This scripture always confuses me, because, when I am going through a trial or temptation, I don't feel very joyful. Actually, I feel the direct opposite when I encounter hard times. The last thing I want to have during these times is a positive attitude.
Lately, I have struggled with physical issues. This has caused me to want to give up on all my projects that I work on. At this time, I don't feel joyful, but the joy mentioned in James isn't a feeling. It is actually an action. This still doesn't mean it is easy. We have to make ourselves joyful.
How do we make ourselves joyful and excited about our lives when we are not feeling well physically, mentally, or emotionally?
There are various actions that help keep me become joyful. These actions are starting my day with devotions, doing one thing productive, reading about inspirational people who got through tough trials, and surrounding myself with friends I can lean on. These actions are not complicated, so we can get through each one without too much stress. If we make these actions complicated, we will only become more frustrated. Frustration can lead to health problems and emotional insecurity.
Daily Devotions
"Unless we form the habit of going to the Bible in bright moments as well as in trouble, we cannot fully respond to its consolations because we lack equilibrium between light and darkness."
Helen Keller
In my previous blogs, I have discussed devotions a lot. They are important to my stability and comfort me during tough times. When I do not have devotions, I usually find myself struggling more than usual. Devotions consist of praise and worship, reading the Bible, and praying. Sometimes, I may not do all these things, but I try to include all three in my devotions. If I have limited time, I usually just read my Bible and pray. God knows I am a person that needs variety, so He has given me peace about how I have my devotions. As long as I give my time to Him, He is pleased with my devotions.
There is one thing that I want to make clear, though. I am NOT perfect, and I struggle to find joy during trials. Many people believe that if someone writes, sings, teaches or preaches on a subject that they miraculously are perfect. This is far from true!
There are some health issues that I have struggled with since I was a teen. These issues make me hurt and weak. When I push myself to work on tough projects, I usually have a period where my body starts to shut down. During these times, I struggle with depression and irritability. Of course, I believe God will heal me, but I know He does not want me to wait until I am healed to find and work toward my purpose and dreams.
Do One Thing Productive
"Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing."
Theodore Roosevelt
There are times when I feel sick and depressed. This is especially true during the morning time, so it is hard to get going and feel joyful throughout the day. If I wake up feeling bad, I set out to do one thing that will help me get closer to my goal. Although it would be nice if I did something big, but, sometimes, just doing something small helps get me started. Many times, after I get started, I go on to get even more things done.
One day last week, I woke up feeling extremely bad. My body hurt, so I knew there was no way I could do anything physical. This is when I went to my to-do list and found the simplest project to start. The simplest project I could find was researching for that week's blog. In just a short time, I had my blog almost completely written. On that day, I accomplished a lot more work, and I felt really good and no longer depressed at the end of the day.
Reading about Inspiration People
"In reading the lives of great men, I found that the first victory they won was over themselves… self-discipline with all of them came first."
Harry T. Truman
If we go into any bookstore, we will find one book after another by or about inspirational people. These people faced trials and pushed through to victory. We can read these books or listen to them on CD, so we can be inspired to face our own trials. There are also people around us that we can associate with and watch how they handle the stress of trials. Some of the steps that people take to face their trials are the same. Many of these people work hard and trust in God, so we need to do the same.
It is funny how I usually go through what I write about each week. This week was a real trial for me. During the weekend, I had a horrible migraine, but, because our weekend was so busy, I had to push myself and pray for healing. Due to the fact that I was able to push through, Brenton rewarded me by taking me to dinner. Why did I push through my weekend? Brenton is my own personal inspiration, and I watch him on a daily bases get through trials. It's not easy to face tough situations, but, when I do get through them, I am able to tell others my own experiences.
The Bible is the greatest book that anyone can read. It is full of men and women that went through trials and became victorious in their lives. If you are feeling bad about your situation, read about Ruth and Naomi who lost everything. When you have made a mistake, read about David and how he repented. As we go through trials in our church, we need to read Paul's letters to the churches. Every situation we go through can be found somewhere in the Bible.
Surrounding Oneself with Friends
"True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is life on a desert island… to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing."
Baltasa Gracian
Of course, I have mentioned that Brenton is my best friend. What most people don't realize is friendship started our relationship in the first place. On our first date, I realized that he was so much more than a cute boy. He and I would have long conversations. This is why we were able to have a strong long distance relationship (he lived an hour away). We would talk on the phone for hours.
Friends come in and out of my life all the time, but there are a few close friends that I will hang onto forever. These friends inspire me and allow me to lean on them through tough times. Brenton showed me true friendship and love when my mom pasted away four years ago. He encouraged me and helped me get back on my feet. Even when I was unable to cook, he took over the cooking responsibility. This is saying a lot, because Brenton never really cared or knew how to cook. He learned to cook for me.
Weekly Challenge
This week, I want us all to find joy even in the midst of our trials. There are positive events in our lives, but, sometimes, we are so focused on the negative events that we miss out on the positive ones. Seeing the good and bad, or negative and positive, in our lives is all perception. We choose to see the good or the bad. If we focus on positive aspects of life, we will experience a more positive life. On the other hand, if we look only at the negative, we will experience a more negative life. My prayer is that we will all choose a positive life, so we can have joy whether we experience trials or not.
"For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control."
II Timothy 1:7