Producing Perseverance...

Lately James 1:2-4 has been running over and over again in my head. "Consider it joy when you face trials. The testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let it finish its work. When its work is finished you will be mature and complete. You won't be lacking anything."




My inner dialogue actually goes something like this...

"Ahhhh!! The washing machine is broken again! Ahhh!!!" Consider it joy. 

"Ahhh!!!! My neighbor literally just hacked a pig foot off the pig and handed it to me as a gift! Smile, Tina. Smile, and act like you like it." Consider it joy. You are producing perseverance.

"Ahhhh!! It's raining so hard and my tin roof is so loud. Now I'm sitting in my closet trying to hear. My life is hard. I can't hear my friend on Skype and I so need a nice chat." Consider it joy. You are producing perseverance. Let it finish its work.

"Ahhh!! The water has been turned off by the government without notice. I'm greasy and look homeless. It's not pretty. Please just throw me a bone Ecuador." Consider it joy.  You are producing perseverance. Let it finish its work. I am maturing you, Tina. You have everything you need.

Right now I often get stuck on, "Let it finish its work." because the work of trials is challenging, and painful, and picks away at all those false identities I like to cling to fervently. BUT God's promises are true so I cling to the One Who Can and keep producing perseverance and letting it do its work, trusting I won't lack anything.