consider it joy.

I had the opportunity to write and share a devotion at my church's Ladies' Friendsgiving event. I wanted to share it here as well!

Mrs. Faye asked me to do the devotional for this meeting, and she told me that the theme was “thankful.” I thought and prayed over what to do, and the Lord laid it on my heart to share a lesson that He showed me while I was in undergrad, but it is also one that I am still learning.

I think it is easy, for most of us, to be thankful when things in life are going our way. When we get the job that we have been wanting and praying for, it’s simple to say, “thanks God for giving me this opportunity!” When our Saturdays and Sundays are filled with our favorite things, it is second nature to say, “thanks Lord for allowing me to have a great weekend!” But, when we are going through trials and tribulation, how often do we pause and thank the Lord for the hardships? How often do we stop and ponder over what God is showing us in difficult seasons?

It was in undergrad that I learned the most valuable lesson of considering everything joy.

In July of 2019, I went on a mission trip to Romania for the second time. During our week there, we studied the book of James as a group. It was the first time I had ever really focused on that specific book of the Bible, and I fell in love with it.

A month after the trip, I had to take Biblical Hermeneutics (the study of how to study the Bible) at Brewton-Parker College (BPC) to fulfill a requirement for my Christian Studies minor. This class was transformative for me. Not only did I learn how to correctly study the Bible, but I also did a deep dive into a passage of scripture that I had only briefly studied before.

I had to select a short passage of scripture to write an 18-page exegetical research paper about throughout the semester; I chose James 1:2-16 since it was fresh on my mind after studying it in Romania. James 1:2-4 reads, "Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing” (CSB).

The Lord KNEW what He was doing when He made me select that passage. What I thought was just random selection on my part was His pure intention.

I began diving deep into the historical and cultural context of the passage, and it made me truly reflect on how to consider your trials joy. I thought of writing this paper as a chore at first, since it was for a college course, but everything I was learning was truly foundational for my life.

Around the time I was creating the research paper, everything in my life seemed to go south. I share these things not for sympathy, but to rather display God’s presence throughout my life. My hardships do not compare to difficulties others have endured; nevertheless, I was struggling.

I played soccer in college, and a few weeks into my second college season, in September of 2019, I tore my meniscus and broke my wrist (about two weeks apart); these injuries prematurely ended my season. I unfortunately knew injuries all too well because I had had hip surgery my senior year of high school after tearing my labrum while playing soccer. These injuries put me right back into a negative headspace. I had knee surgery in February of 2020, and during the surgery, they found a completely separate injury from the meniscus tear. Shortly after, my best friend and roommate, Harlie, was diagnosed with colon cancer. That same weekend, the COVID pandemic hit. In the midst of the pandemic, I went through a breakup, and some events led to one of my longest friendships ending. I was not able to play my senior soccer season because of my knee. In my last semester of undergrad, while Harlie was going through her chemo treatments, we ended up catching COVID despite how careful we had been... it was truly one thing after another, and it was the hardest year of my life. I struggled physically, emotionally, and spiritually as I tried to understand God’s purpose and plan for my life.

However, after authoring that research paper at the start of it all, multiple podcasts I randomly listened to were on James 1, or they touched on leaning on God through hardships. Multiple sermons at church had James 1 incorporated into the message. Countless songs, Instagram posts, and books I would come across were all about enduring the storms in life with Christ and depending on God in every season. The Lord knew that I desperately needed to reflect on that passage of scripture throughout such a difficult year. In fact, after I wrote this all out last week before the Friendsgiving meeting, the Sunday school message was on James 1- so God is still doing this to me!

(just a few examples of the many times this happened)

Then, and now, God CONSTANTLY reminds me that despite what I was and am feeling, He was (and still is!) sovereign. In the past, when I saw or heard any of these references to James 1, at first, I just laughed. I knew it was the Lord trying to catch my attention, but I did not want to hear it. The Lord was faithful when I had not been faithful to Him. He was working on my heart in ways I did not even realize.

I finally started paying attention to what God was trying to show me. Through those verses in James, He revealed one of the most important lessons I will ever learn: trials in life are for the perseverance and maturity of our faith and are all for a greater purpose. The Lord never said we as Christians would not go through tribulation, but He promises us that we can find peace and comfort in Him no matter our circumstances. We should be thankful, even in difficult seasons in our lives, because God uses all things for His glory and for His good. The Lord uses our hardships to help prepare us for our future, and God’s strength is perfected in our weaknesses. Our difficult seasons make our fruitful seasons all the more enjoyable because they increase our gratitude. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the one who endures trials, because when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him" (CSB). How comforting it is to know amidst our trials that we have salvation and heaven to look forward to; the pain that we feel in our tribulations does not compare to the joy that is coming. We can always be thankful, in the mountains and in the valleys, because God sacrificed His one and only Son so we could reconciled with Him. We can shift our perspectives to be ones of gratitude, because even on our worst days, we can place our hope in the Lord.

Although, having this mindset is easier said than done. Writing this devotional has made me realize that this has not been the posture of my heart lately, so I truly believe that the Lord led Mrs. Faye to ask me to do this… because I really needed to reflect upon this scripture once again. I didn't get the top jobs I interviewed for, so I have been in a bit of a funk. However, I think it is so important that we ask God to allow the Holy Spirit to work within us to shift our perspectives to be ones of gratitude instead of ones of groaning.

I can distinctly remember, earlier this year, sitting at a traffic light in Madison on my way to Georgia College. I was extremely overwhelmed. I was in my final semester of grad school, working on my Master’s thesis, planning my wedding, coaching soccer, teaching two classes of ENGL 1102, renovating a house… I was stretching myself thin. I had just gotten off the phone (with either my mom or my sister, most likely) and had ranted and complained about how I wished I was not going through everything all at once. As I sat at the red light, I could just feel the Lord speaking to me, telling me to consider everything joy. Reminding me of those verses. I could feel the Holy Spirit telling me that I was living in the moments that I had fervently prayed for in the past.

After everything that happened in 2019-2020, God and I got closer than we had ever been before. I graduated and had a semester off school, and that was one of the most fruitful times of my entire life. I prayed for the Lord to help me decide where to go to grad school. I prayed for the Lord to strengthen me as a Christian and as a woman. I prayed for my future husband, whoever it might be, and I prayed to meet him in the Lord’s timing. I prayed for contentment and for the Lord to help me serve Him no matter the season. I prayed for God to direct my future career, and I prayed about if it was the right decision to volunteer to coach soccer at Social Circle.

Yet here I was, in 2023, crying and complaining, even though I was a month from graduating grad school, I was engaged and two months away from marrying Tanner, I was in my second semester of fulfilling one of my dreams of teaching college English, and I was in my third season of coaching soccer after we had won the state championship the season before. God answered every. single. one. of my prayers. The only thing that needed to change was my perspective.

To push things even further... The Lord helped me realize that what I had seen as a major set back in my life in high school- my hip surgery- was all a part of His provision and plan. If I did not have hip surgery, I would have not had to take a step back from soccer to realize that I would have thoroughly missed it if I did not continue playing after high school. If I would have gone to UGA instead of becoming a member of the women's soccer team at BPC, I would not have had the opportunity to minor in Christian Studies or to continue my soccer career. If I did not go to BPC, I would not have met my best friend, Harlie. If I did not injure my knee and arm in college, I would not have had the opportunity to sit next to my coaches during every single practice and learn from them. If I would have planned to start grad school the month after graduating in December of 2020, I would not have been able to keep my nephew for my sister while she worked. If I had not missed soccer from getting injured again and having to sit and watch, and if I was in grad school instead of taking a semester off, I would not have any desire or time to volunteer to coach at Social Circle. If I did not coach at Social Circle, I would have missed developing relationships with the coaches and players, and I would not have been on the sidelines for Tanner to see me while watching his sister, Tess, play for SCHS... which led to us dating, and now we are married! All of this to say- we can be thankful in the good times and in the bad because The Lord is present and is working even when we cannot see it ourselves. He is with us always, and He has a purpose for every single season we endure. I would have never wanted to go through some of these difficult times over the past few years, but I would not be where I am or who I am without these experiences.

Let us all remember to “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in everything; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 CSB). On the mountaintops, we can be thankful that the Lord delivered us, and in the valleys, we can be thankful for the lessons He is showing us while we are making our journey with Him back up to the top.