James 1:1-4

James 1:1-4 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There exist certain shrubs in nature that produce seeds with such a tough outer coating that only a fire can create the conditions necessary for the seed to grow.  Other trees, such as the Jack pine, produce seeds in a cone that is sealed with a resin.  The seeds mature but are only freed from the pine cone (called a serotinous cone) when a fire that is hot enough melts the resin and allows for the seedling to begin life anew.
  Now, it is my hope that none of you ever endure the trials of life, but all of us encounter suffering in some shape or form.  Sometimes it is deeply personal, while other times it is swirling around us, touching the lives of those we love.  There are people who will say that God will never give you more than you can handle, but I think we often end up with more than we can handle, discovering along the way that the only way we can handle it is through the grace and power of God at work in the community of people that help us get through whatever we are facing. 
  When we encounter suffering, all we can do is persevere.  There is rarely a magic solution that eliminates it from our lives and the lives of the people around us.  In the opening words of his letter, James encourages his readers to count their trials as joy, for he believes that the trials of life bring us closer to Christ, and the outcome of our dependence on Christ draws us closer to full dependence on God.  Only by recognizing that God alone can truly meet our needs do we discover freedom, for we are unconditionally loved and declared perfect and complete through the power of Christ and his love upon the cross, but realizing and living into this truth is a daily challenge.  Suffering helps us see how fully dependent we are upon God and how feeble our efforts can often be in the face of trials. 
  So suffering and trials are never enjoyable, but they can produce joy, because they can help us recognize our dependence on the one who is always dependable, who delivers us through the trials of life and calls us into life eternal.