Only a couple days into this study and I’m already so inspired! Mark so far has only gone a few verses into the book of James, but there is SO much depth to it. One of my favorite Bible verses is found at the beginning of James:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, when you face trials of any kind, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
~ James 1:2-4
So many people live under this notion that when you’re a Christian, life is great! No. When you’re a Christian, you still go through hard times. Bad things still happen. The difference is that you have someone to turn to who will comfort you and strengthen you like no one else can through the hard times.
It’s very easy to confuse “joy” with “happiness”. You may read these verses and say to yourself, “How can I be happy when I’m going through this?” Happiness is circumstantial. When bad things happen to us, we’re not happy. We’re sad, mad, confused, lonely, anything but happy! Joy goes much deeper. Joy is something you feel when you are going through hard times, but there’s still a part of you inside that says, “I know things are hard right now and I don’t understand, but God I know You’re watching me and You’re going to carry me through it. I know these hard times will not last and I will have a happy ending.”
The Comal County Fair Parade is just days away. It’s our local parade held every year at the end of September. It features local businesses, bands, local officials, and most importantly – SANTA!!!! In Texas we do it a little differently. Our Santa cruises through the parade in a blue suit and on the back of a police pickup truck. But still…it’s Santa! 
Mark compared these verses in James to a parade he attended when he was a kid. You go to the parade so excited to see Santa. But you have to first sit through all this other stuff. Some of it might be good. Some of it might be fun. But some of it is just downright boring and painful to watch.
That’s how life is. We have good times, we have bad times, we have hard times we wish would just end already. As Christians we’re all living on this earth just waiting impatiently until the day when we get to meet Jesus. We’re ready for all the bad stuff to be over, just so we can get to the good stuff. I’m sure Jesus is so excited to meet each and every one of us up in Heaven, but He has given us all a job to do down here on earth first. It is our duty not just to live through and survive our time down here…it’s to embrace it to use it. The good times, the bad times, the struggles, the pain, the celebrations, the loss, all of it!
Don’t live your life so focused on how the story ends that you forget to read the rest. Embrace life. Live life. Love life. God took the time to write a story for each and every one of us. Don’t rush through it. Read your story one page at a time…and live life with joy, knowing that your story will have a happy ending.
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