Joy perfected

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.  –James 1:2-4 (ESV)
 
Two of the men in my foxhole recently lost grandchildren when their pregnant daughters each experienced a miscarriage. Miscarriages, though not especially rare, carry a heavy impact. A family, filled with joy at the announcement, begins preparing for the arrival of new life. Then suddenly, that joy and anticipation are no more.
 
The mother’s body, after generating the near-mystical bio-chemistry needed to enable a safe environment for growing a pre-born human, is turned inside-out as all those hormones are dumped into her system. The physical, mental, and emotional roller coaster is awful, first for the momma, but then for the family as well. How do you process that? How do you faithfully walk through that with your little girl?
 
That was the backdrop as we met Thursday morning and encountered the words of James: “Count it all joy….” Exactly how do we do that, James, when it feels like our hearts have been ripped out of our chest? Surely you aren’t telling us we need to deny our pain and ignore our loss and pretend everything’s fine, are you? That approach seems to land somewhere between unhealthy and pathological. That can’t be the expectation, right?
 
Therefore be ye perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.  –Matthew 5:48 (WYC)
 
I’ve heard it said that joy is peace dancing and peace is joy at rest. There is a relationship between the two and it transcends our circumstances. The Father created us with emotions – we feel because He feels. Remember when Jesus wept at the tomb of Lazarus, knowing He was about to raise Lazarus from the dead? Why weep? Empathy for the sisters? Overwhelmed by how the death and resurrection of His friend foreshadowed what He would soon go through? Perhaps a combination of things – sometimes it’s hard to explain why the tears come. They just do. But tears don’t diminish joy.
 
Joy understands the trial will not be forever. Joy has faith to say “God is good” when the weight of the struggle drives me to my knees. Joy knows that God is growing me through the hard season – it has confidence I’ll look back when this is over and discover something I learned about God, myself, or my world that I would’ve never known otherwise.
 
And if the learning is less than obvious, joy will continue to trust anyway. Because joy believes my God will redeem every hurt and restore every loss – if not in this life, then on the day He comes to claim His own. Joy looks forward to perfection, to the day when the transformative work of the Spirit is complete and the soul He once DECLARED holy stands before Him, overflowing in HIS holiness.
 
And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.  –1Peter 5:10-11 (ESV)