Count It All Joy

Mindy Simmons 

One of my favorite parts of my job here at the church is working in the finance department. I studied accounting in school and have always enjoyed taking part in accounting functions in my various jobs over the years. Details are important to me, and I often sort things out into debit and credit columns in my brain (and yes, I realize that probably sounds crazy to a lot of you)! 

I was recently reading in the book of James, and found myself picturing an accounting chart as I read James 1:2-8 (ESV), which says: 

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” 

Humor me for a moment and picture a pros & cons list (or if you’re like me, an accounting T-account). When we face trials, we get to categorize those under the Joy (Pros) side of the table: 

Joy / Pros | Despair / Cons 
Trials |

This is counterintuitive to our flesh. We as humans don’t like to be uncomfortable or face challenges. But, as Christ followers, we get to count those trials in the “joy” column of life. God doesn’t waste those trials; rather, He uses them to help us become more steadfast in our faith. Further, if we find that we are lacking wisdom, all we need to do is ask God, in faith, and trust Him to give us the gift of wisdom (This also warns us that if we find ourselves flipping back and forth between faith and doubt, we will be unstable like a wave of the sea being tossed around by the wind – not fun at all!). 

As we face trials, we get to trust God and seek Him to build our faith, our wisdom, our strength, and our perseverance. What a gift! Instead of trials beating us down, we have the opportunity to be built up stronger because of them. When we count trials as joy and allow God to build wisdom and perseverance in us through them, James says we get to become more perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. In Christ, we have everything we need! And through Jesus, who was the only truly perfect human to exist, we get to become more like Him.  

Next time you find yourself facing a trial or feeling like you don’t know what to do, picture yourself marking that trial in the “joy” column of your life, and ask God to give you wisdom as you endure through it. Trust Him and see how He builds your faith stronger through it.