“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.“- James 1:12
Immediately after a passenger airplane comes off the assembly line, it goes through dozens of detailed inspections and performance tests. But the most important test comes at the end during the final test flight. It is there that the expert test pilot navigates the aircraft in a number of extreme ways to ensure its structural integrity during high-stress maneuvering. Once it passes this final stress test, the plane is declared airworthy and approved for service.
In a similar way, the Christian life is a lot like riding in that airplane. Some days the skies are clear and there’s a nice tailwind. Those days are the best… it’s a smooth and comfortable ride and we really don’t think too much about anything. But there are other days when we encounter major storms and the ride becomes very uncomfortable. And sometimes the storms are so bad that we feel like we’re never gonna make it.
James tells each of us that we can expect periods of turbulence in life. And there will even be times when the ride gets so uncomfortable and unsettling that we might be tempted to try to fly above or around the storms in hopes of avoiding them altogether. After all, isn’t that the way society operates today? “You got a challenging job? Find a new one! Is your marriage struggling? Get a divorce! Don’t like your neighbors? Move to a different neighborhood! You’re not good at math? Change your major!”
If life is a series of tests like I’ve heard some people say. we want the diploma, but many of us don’t want any part of taking the exams.
Friend, the only way we can grow in our faith is to endure the hardships in life by flying right through them. These tests aren’t obstacles to faith; they’re proving grounds for faith. They reveal whether our faith in Christ is genuine, or if it’s shaky and unreliable.
In verse 12, James introduces this happy person to us. How do we know he’s happy? Because God has blessed him. He has this unmistakable quality of inner peace inside of him. Why? Because his happiness isn’t tied to his circumstances, but rather in knowing that his perseverance is making him mature and complete in Jesus Christ. It is the happiness of an individual who hasn’t tried to duck the difficulties or run from reality, but instead endures in the face of a trial. Think about where man would be today if Jesus ran from the reality of his crucifixion? It was the greatest stress test of his life and he endured it for us.
If our faith is genuine, we will stand the test also. It might be so hard at times that we feel like giving up, but we have a loving and gracious God who will help us through it all. And in the end when all of our testing is over and we cross the finish line of this life, He will be there waiting to crown us with eternal life.
Former Blackout Artist 