Measure This!

I heard a long time ago, that if you truly want to measure your growth in the Lord, that you should measure . . . not so much your actions (good, just not good enough) you should instead measure your REACTIONS! Measuring your reactions is a much better gauge for how you've grown in the Lord. It's the "good that you can do the right things when you think about it, but what do you do when you're not thinking about it," thing.

With that in mind, and I re-read James 1:2-3 I realized that James is making clear that those unexpected afflictions and trouble, that we call trials, are to be received as though a joyful thing has come upon us. We should be joyful, because its just one more opportunity to develop endurance. James knew that endurance was equal in essence to patience.

The problem for me comes when I looked up the meaning of the words patience and encounter. To be patient is to bear without provocation (something that instigates, irritates or angers), without complaint, loss of temper, or irritation . . . yeah right! The word encounter are those times when something comes upon you without expectation. You know those various trials that you didn't pencil into your schedule.

Seldom, do I encounter an irritating moment and NOT complain about it. When was the last time I experienced a various trial (those that come when you least expect it) and wasn't irritated or didn't loose my temper? When was the last time I acknowledged that to be provoked is to surrender my will, to an other's challenging attitude?

And yet, God our Father, desires that we be complete. That we lack nothing in this life to live successfully and rightly before Him. And as James, the brother of Jesus is saying here, we can! But its all about our attitude, and all about our reactions! We need to give ourselves an attitude adjustment the next time we encounter a various trial. We need to set aside our aggravation, our anger, our irritation and face it with joy!

Facing trials with joy requires faith . . . sheer trust that God has it all under control, so we don't have to!!