Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:2-4
“You are guilty of over-simplification if you define as fortunate the rich and the powerful. They are on the contrary most unfortunate and miserable because they possess the good things of this world and use them in pursuit of vice and wickedness.
Therefore if you see depraved people wallowing in wealth, don’t say ‘What happiness.’ They are unfortunate precisely because they have too many opportunities of living in iniquity.
If you see other people who seem upright, imprisoned by adversity and poverty, and don’t at once think they are unfortunate and don’t accuse God of injustice. They will suffer no harm through their misfortune, because they have been educated by it to bear discomfort like the champions of virtue that they are.
For just as dwellers in iniquity pervert even good things to use as weapons of wickedness, so lovers of virtue can adapt even bad things to act as material for true wisdom.”
Theodoret of Cyrus (393-457) in Drinking from the Hidden Fountain: A Patristic Breviary, Ancient Wisdom for Today’s World, ed. by Thomas Spidlik (Kalamazoo: Cistercian, 1994) 291.
Today’s Scripture celebrates the gift of trials. They develop our character and make us ‘perfect’ (our word yesterday) and complete, ‘lacking in nothing.’ Let’s lean into that idea of ‘lacking in nothing.’
When God allows difficult situations in our lives to shape us into new people, He does this for our good and His glory. But it’s only when God is all we have, do we realize that He’s all we’ve ever needed.
My family is facing quite a trial right now. Whilst I’ve been traveling and teaching around the world, literally more that circumnavigating the planet on this five country tour, my wife’s car was smashed by a reckless driver.
Thankfully she walked away. And though she has headaches, bumps and bruises, what we lost was a reliable vehicle. Of course the motorist was uninsured and while we have that coverage, it’s yet another headache.
But what have I learned afresh in the process? It was only a car. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord. I have been reminded that when God is all I have, He’s all I’ve ever needed all along.
Now when we find ourselves in hard times, we tend to dream of riches and power. We do. Instead, we must see that place for what it is. Wallowing in wealth positions us to trust in ourselves and commit all manner of sins.
Let us rather, as ‘champions of virtue’ allow the trials to make us into people who as Theodoret keenly noted ‘can adapt even bad things to act as material for true wisdom.’ We’ve got this, because God’s got us.
And he even knows what our next car will look like.