Joy in the Middle of the Hard

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." — James 1:2-3

At first glance, these verses can feel almost impossible.

James isn't saying that trials are joyful. He's not telling us to pretend that pain doesn't hurt, loss doesn't ache, disappointment doesn't sting, or uncertainty isn't exhausting. He's not asking us to put on a smile and act like everything is fine.

Instead, he's inviting us to look beyond the trial and see what God is doing through it.

The word consider means to deliberately choose our perspective. We can acknowledge that something is difficult while also trusting that God is at work within it. The joy isn't found in the suffering itself—it's found in knowing that our suffering is not wasted.

Brokenness doesn't disqualify us—it often becomes the very place where grace shows up.

Perhaps you've already experienced circumstances so shattering that you wonder whether it's even possible to pick up the pieces. Maybe you've faced loss, disappointment, betrayal, unanswered prayers, or dreams that didn't unfold the way you hoped. And maybe you can't put the pieces back together on your own. But God can. More than that, He delights in taking what feels shattered and reassembling it into something beautiful—a wholeness that only the broken can know.

Author Ann Voskamp captures this truth beautifully:

"I don't know how, but somehow... maybe our hearts are made to be broken. Broken open. Broken free. Maybe the deepest wounds birth deepest wisdom. We are made in the image of God. And wasn't God's heart made to be broken too? Wounds can be openings to the beauty in us. And our weaknesses can be a container for God's glory."

When faced with difficult circumstances, it's natural to cry out, "Why me? Why now? How could God allow this to happen?" While there are rarely easy answers, I've found two simple truths to be consistently present in the hard seasons of life: growth and glory.

We grow because when life hurts, we pay attention. We discover what is real. We learn whom we can trust. We stop relying on our own strength and begin leaning more fully on God. The testing of our faith produces perseverance—not because suffering is good, but because God is good and refuses to waste our suffering.

If you're a runner, you understand this idea of perseverance. After my heart surgeries, I wanted to do something big to celebrate the miraculous results and the gift of being healthy enough to move again. Gary and I decided to run a half marathon on Thanksgiving morning, about a year after my surgery.

In true ADHD fashion, I didn't pay close enough attention to the race details when I signed us up.

About a mile into the race, we realized this wasn't the road race we had imagined. It was an off-trail race winding through the woods. Most of the course consisted of steep hills, uneven terrain, and narrow deer paths. There were moments when I was exhausted, discouraged, and convinced I couldn't possibly keep going.

But every time I wanted to quit, I repeated the same phrase in my head:

Just put one foot in front of the other. Again and again.

I wasn't focused on the finish line anymore. I wasn't calculating how many miles remained. I was simply taking the next step.

Looking back, that's often how God grows perseverance in us. He rarely gives us strength for the entire journey at once. Instead, He gives us enough grace for the next step. And then the next one. And then another after that.

Sometimes faith looks less like leaping and more like simply refusing to stop. It's choosing to trust God one day at a time, one prayer at a time, one step at a time.

And before you know it, the miles behind you are greater than the miles ahead.

God receives glory through that process. Not because we handle every trial perfectly, but because His strength becomes visible in our weakness. His faithfulness shines brightest when we have nowhere else to turn. What feels like breaking may actually be God opening our hearts wider to His grace.

Perseverance isn't formed during easy seasons. It grows when we keep showing up, keep praying, keep trusting, and keep taking the next step even when we would rather quit.

Maybe today you're walking through a trial that feels heavy. If so, James isn't asking you to celebrate the hardship itself. He's reminding you that God is doing a work in you that is bigger than the hardship. The struggle may be testing your faith, but it is also strengthening it. What feels broken today may become the very place where God's grace, wisdom, and glory are most clearly revealed.

Lord, when trials come, help me remember that You are working even when I can't see it. Give me the strength to trust You in difficult seasons and the perspective to see beyond my current circumstances. Build perseverance in me, deepen my faith, and help me cling to Your promises. Amen.