Read James 1:1-3
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (v. 2).
During the time we were going through the difficulty, I did not think of it as a tribulation, but looking back on it I believe it was. We had experienced the birth of our second child and a few days later my wife had gall bladder surgery. She recovered rapidly and returned home only to begin experiencing pain in her stomach. A trip to the doctor resulted in her return to the hospital and exploratory surgery. A severe infection had developed in her stomach cavity. She lingered near death for two weeks before beginning to recover. After three weeks in the hospital, she was allowed to return home for weeks of bed rest.
We had only become Christians a few weeks before all of these things developed. I cannot say that we counted it joy to be going through those things, but apparently we displayed a true Christian attitude while enduring those weeks. Following these experiences, we encountered people who had visited us during those difficult days, and they expressed that they had come to encourage us but went away encouraged.
The joy of that period of our lives was that we experienced the mercy of God and His undergirding strength which resulted in our being able to be a blessing to others. (Larry DeOrnellis)
A true attitude in affliction is possible as we have joy in the midst of our difficulties because we realize God counted us worthy to be tested.
This week's featured devotional is the Wednesday, March 12, 2014 entry of Opening the Word. Order your copy!
Photo Credit: "Peace and the passing storm" by Chinchu2 used under CC BY 2.0 / Cropped.
