The Three Ts and a Whole Lot More!

 This morning, I was reading through the first chapter of James to prepare for Bible study classes that start tonight. I realized there were a lot of "T" words in this first chapter. These stood out to me: trials, testing, temptation. That's a lot for the first chapter, right?

I thought about it for a little bit, and how we can face any and all of these on any certain day at any time. As caregivers, we walk through a continuous trial where our faith is being tested day in and day out. Every day we face things that others have no clue about, and trusting God is a daily, hourly, or moment-by-moment choice.

We may be tempted to throw in the towel or give up, but we know we can't really do that. Maybe we are tempted to throw up our hands and walk away. For me, it's sitting, staring at the wall, and drinking coffee. Lol. There's nowhere to go, really. Our hearts hold us near our loved ones, and we don't really want it any other way, but man, can it be hard. We live in a trial, constantly being tested, often tempted to live in fear or doubt. But there's good news.

As I was marking these T words in my Bible, I realized there are a lot of other words in that chapter; it's just that I relate so closely to the three Ts. A quick glance at the first chapter of James reveals other words, positive, powerful words like: joy, complete, lacking nothing, promise, good gifts, salvation, and blessed.

Isn't it "funny" how these seemingly contradictory terms are in the same passage? What a mirror of life. In the middle of our trials, we can find joy. How often we shed tears of sorrow and tears of joy! In the middle of our temptations, we find the heart to trust God more. They all run at the same time, and none of them is mutually exclusive. Wow, it's kind of like God prepared the way in the middle of the desert. 

I think God drew the path under the Red Sea before the Children of Israel reached the banks. He will make a way through our trials, too - we just have to keep trusting Him day after day.

Today, I'll remind myself that God is fully aware of the trials and temptations we are walking through every day. I'll think about how He walks patiently with me through each day, and He allows me to work through all the emotional details I need to. I love that God doesn't condemn us; He joins us on our journeys. And He stays. Patiently stays with us while we work through the details. He is our full-on support system. I know I can trust Him for one more day. Will you join me?

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Book of James Study Guide

 • Are you up for a spiritual challenge?

 • Can you answer James’ hard questions honestly?

 • Do you want to tackle this spiritual obstacle course? 

The Book of James study guide is great for individual or group study.