Count it All Joy

My friend came up to me at church.
"I've been reading your blog," she said.
"I've been reading about the joys and sorrows of your life."
Then she said, "Count them all joy."
She said it alot better than I just did.
But I felt like she had handed me a gift.

A long time ago,
James, the brother of Jesus,
wrote to the twelve tribes of Israel,
scattered abroad.
"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.
But let patience have its perfect work,
that you may be perfect and complete,
lacking nothing."

My friend remembered James.
She helped me remember him, too.
When she said, "Count it ALL joy,"
I heard in her words the freedom
to be glad in the midst of sorrow.
The joy in the midst of sorrow
contains its own reward.
But James goes on to say
that the trials produce patience,
and if you are patient
in your patience,
your patience will produce
wholeness, stability, and riches.


I took the main sorrowful things
out of my soul today
and looked at them
through the light of joy.
They had a whole different feel to them.
I'm not just waiting for them to be 'over.'
There is a whole lot more at stake
than just having my sorrows resolved.
They are, in fact,
sorrows that are wrapped up
in the more difficult sorrows of others.

The destiny of an innocent
is being determined
by the free will of the
not so innocent.

Someone near and dear
to someone near and dear
has stopped breathing today,
and another near and dear
to me is struggling to breathe.

A son who brought only
pride and joy
has been taken in the prime
of his life, and his mother
asks God, "Why?",
and waits for His answer.

Debt marches in for another,
threatening the loss of land
and home.

Seizures surprise two
young men in one home in
the same week,
and their parents fight panic.

Another parent struggles
to bring a child back from
the clutches of evil influence.

The battles are raging
and people are weary.
I know these people.
They are close to me.
It's personal.
The trials are personal.

"Count it ALL joy,"
she said.
She should know.
She's been through enough.
In her patience,
she has possessed her soul.
I love her for her words.
I thank her for her words.

I hold the sorrows of my
family and friends
and think of the trials
of our faith.
I count it all joy
because we have a God
who makes all things
work out for good
to those who love Him.

The working out
requires alot of patient waiting.
I will work on my counting
while I wait.