#22 Count It All Joy

When I was younger, my grandmother noticed a wart on my finger. She began to teach me a homemade remedy for removing warts. I remember she always had an unusual, yet effective, way to doctor our ouches. She took a small piece of wheat bread and soaked it in vinegar. She squeezed out the excess, so it’s not dripping, and placed the piece of bread on top of my wart and wrapped it in a band-aid. The next morning, she unwrapped my finger and there was a dark, small seed, or seed-like thing, in the middle of the wart. She popped it out, and over the next few days the wart went away never to be seen again.

I don’t remember any pain associated with the remedy, but I do remember the smell of vinegar. Throughout the night I would get a whiff of it and curl my nose. I’d want to take it off, grandmother would fuss at me. Even after we cleaned it up, my finger still had a vinegary essence for a couple of days. The smell was unpleasant, but the remedy worked. It drew out the ‘seed of the wart’ forever.

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.

As I was meditating on the passage, I remember my grandmother’s wart remedy. In a similar way, I think the trials and testing of our faith are like the vinegar, unpleasant but effective. They draw things out of us. Like, immaturity, bitter roots, selfishness, deception, etc… These impurities cause our faith to be stunted. When they are drawn out and removed, we are left whole. James said we will be lacking in nothing.

It’s not easy to count trials as joy. It takes a conscious effort to look past temptations and at trials and see the joy, it’s a choice. The trial is not joy, resisting temptation is frustrating. The joy of temptations and trials is the freedom, wholeness, and life we have when we stand firm and don’t give in. James knew this. That’s why a few verses later he added,

Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life…don’t be deceived [by the temptation], every good and perfect gift comes from above… James 1:12 & 17

Friends, I pray that we are able to look past the stench of temptation and trials, and see the joy on the other side. Knowing that as we surrender to healing process, we will for sure encounter the Father of Lights who has no variation or shadow due to change (James 1:17).