It Might Even Be Better

"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

"[James is] not saying to feel happy when you experience the challenge of unfulfilled hope.  He's saying to put the trials and testing of your faith into the joy category.  It goes in the joy category because that's how you'd feel -- joyful -- if you saw the whole thing from God's view.  

You're frustrated, you're confused, you doubt, the gap's too big, you're out of time, out of money, out of options, out of ideas, out of friends, out of hope.  But something good is coming form the unfulfilled hope thing.  It might even be better than what comes from the fulfilled hope.  Does being perfect and complete and lacking nothing sound good to you?  

That's what you get when trials and the testing of your faith produce steadfastness in you.  So let your non-fulfillment produce steadfastness.  And put it all in the joy category."

~ from Scary Hope by Gary Morland

I'm reading this book by Gary Morland, and he says a lot of profoundly impacting stuff in it, including the above.  I stumbled across the book randomly -- it's written by the dad of another blogger that I read, and she was plugging it on her page.  He kind of strikes me as the male counterpart to Ann Voksamp and her gratitude experiment.

And the title, Scary Hope?  That sounds about right.  Because hoping is scary, especially after you've been through hell, when you're going through hell.  But hope is also what I need.  What we all need, really.  Anyway, I just wanted to share this in the hope that it will impact you, too, in whatever way you need to be impacted. 

p.s.  Does anyone else find it ironic that the next post after the one on not reading is about . . . reading?  ;)