"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, when you face trials of many kinds, 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."
or check out the Message paraphrase... always love that version
"Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides. You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way."
God has not given me trials that are tragedies.
My family is whole, my child is healthy, and my life is good.
God has given me responsibility that I choose to take very seriously.
Raising Tori in a godly way and training her in righteousness.
This responsibility has taught me the true meaning of pure joy in trials.
It is not always easy to raise my child the way that God wants me to
It is definately not easy to discipline her the way God wants me to
It is not easy to be concerned with her heart, instead of her behavior.
This is my trial! This is my struggle.... and seriously, WHAT A JOY!
Somedays I am not positive about this, somedays I'm a mess and I think I've totally ruined my child and I'm a terrible mother. But, I can honestly say that being Tori's Mommy is worth it. Seeing her precious face each day is worth it. Knowing that she is mine, makes me joyful and thankful to the God who gave her to me. I think this is a perfect example of joy in trials. God knows children are difficult. I am not saying that Tori is horrible or that she is a trial in my life that I am just trying to get through. NO!! She is a gift, a precious gift! And this gift God has given to me is a HUGE responsibility. I am responsible for a human life!! I see this as a challenge, because IT'S HARD!! Anyone that tells you otherwise is lying! So, to wrap this up, the challenge of motherhood is pure joy. I pray that I can apply this to other trials in my life, because they are there and it can be so hard to find joy in the midst of suffering.
Being Tori's mommy has taught me so much. Patience, perseverance, unconditional love, joy, confidence, and so much more. God gave me this precious gift to show me His love for me. I am doing my best to be the best mother I can be, and considering each new challenge PURE JOY!! This verse also encourages me to stick with it, because through our trials, our faith grows. God has already used Tori's life to bring me back into His will. Knowing that all of my struggles have a purpose inside of God's will, gives me hope. He's not finished with me yet! If I have to suffer to be mature and complete, so be it. My goal is for my life to please the Lord, so that one day when I stand in front of Him at Heaven's gates He will say to me
"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
"Well done, my good and faithful servant."
