We were never promised that following Jesus would exempt us from trials, we were only promised it would be worth it! There are so many cute sayings that remind us that without the hardships we encounter, we could not appreciate the blessings!
Each one of us has had and will have our fair amount of suffering, pitfalls and setbacks. We will all experience a loss of some sort, a let down and a disaster at some time in our lives. How we act (or react) to such situations, is determined by our point of view and our relationship with God. We can become overwhelmed at just the thought of failure, or we can press through our fears and know that nothing will touch us that has not first passed through the hands of God!
In the end, James tells us to "count it all joy" because without the temptations, without the trials, we would not grow in faith! Having faith that God will see us through any situation and that there is a blessing in it makes that situation bearable! We do not walk alone! We are constantly under the watchful eye of our Creator!
Breath in, breath out! Let the anxiety you feel be turned into energy used to praise! The blessings will come, the pain will subside and you will walk on into the next situation knowing that this, too, shall pass!
