Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. – James 1:2 – 4 (NIV)
Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds. My favorite word in this passage is pure. We are not just talking about regular old joy, here. We’re not talking about the kind of giddy joy that comes from situational events such as getting an A+ on a paper, getting a good review at work, or becoming infatuated with someone new. We are talking about joy that has been refined by fire and is completely unblemished. Joy that comes from going through difficult trials and yet still praises God. This is the joy that’s not watered-down or tarnished by any outside influences. This is joy that is unshakable. Joy that is cemented to the soul. Joy that clings to the heart despite the raging negative life experiences that swirl around like a hurricane. Joy that stays intact even when the flaming arrows of Satan infiltrate our minds telling us we are failures; we’re ugly; we are not worthy of a pure, faithful relationship; we are not loved and cared for; we are not worth the ground that we walk on…
This pure joy stays intact when we are facing trials of many kinds. This pure joy doesn’t grow and build when life is going perfectly and we are getting all of our prayers answered. Don’t get me wrong, I love those times and they can be euphoric and produce much joy. But this purified joy sinks its roots deep into the ground when the pink slip comes at work; when the teenager becomes rebellious; when depression seems to surround us; when the cancer diagnosis comes; when a child dies in a car accident; and when a woman faints in her kitchen and breaks her neck. If we can persevere, keep our faith, and mature through these life circumstances, we can develop the purest type of joy: a deep-seated contentment and acceptance of God’s will.
I am not there yet with this pure joy idea but I’m beginning to gain perspective. Something deep inside of me is shifting and moving me to a point of clarity about pure joy. I don’t understand why my life events have played out the way they have, but I’m beginning to understand that devastating events don’t have to be viewed as a negative events.
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. – Romans 8:28 (NLT)
Diary of a Quadriplegic 
You know me, Terri, and you know that I could NOT agree with you more. This is a lifelong process of fixing our eyes on things above and learning to say “Blessed be the name of the Lord” in your heart of hearts, even when you dont feel it. I love you!
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You inspire me to write a lot of my posts. It’s usually after one of our heart-to-heart talks that I get my ideas. You are my mentor.
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Terri, you are an inspiration, thank you. Your writing is straight forward and honest from your heart, thank you. You are a blessing Terri. May our God Bless you abundantly, as you continue to bless others.
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Thank you for continuing to read my blog. I really appreciate it!
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Wow, Terri, another great post. I have never seen it as ‘pure’ joy before, but God has given you a revelation of it. You are an inspiration to me. (I have been trying to post more comments previously, but WordPress has been giving me a hard time!)
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I love you.
Sent from Marshele’s iPhone
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I love you! I’ve been praying for your busy schedule.
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So true…and what a gift to be able to arrive ‘there’.
Romans 8:28 was my scripture as I went thru my breastfeeding cancer.. the time was not a disaster because I had already come to believe it….
Love doe
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I miss you! Thank you for staying in touch.
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Your posts touch my heart every time.
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I love you!
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You are an inspiration to me Terri! I am loving your blog.
I am sharing it with my Celebrate Recovery group. They are enjoying
it so much!! Love you
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Thank you for believing in me! I love you.
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Thank-you.
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Thank you for continuing to read my blog. I hope you are well Michelle!
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Terri,
I just read this post and Wow to focus on pure joy..with all the things going in in my life this has been there for me now you have helped me go deeper..to have faith me must work the muscle..love you deeper and deeper
Priscilla
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I pray for you all the time. You inspire me more than you know.
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Joy is a struggle. And that looks odd, now that I wrote it. I know I should feel happy, I even want to have that joy, but I’m held back by guilt over, well, pretty much everything. It’s as if I would go skipping down the street and suddenly see God looking at me. I’d feel like I got caught being bad, because He sacrificed so much. How dare I be so free and easy!
Does that make sense or just sound crazy?
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Joy is a struggle. I agree with you 100%.
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Reblogged this on Diary of a Quadriplegic and commented:
I have been going through a dark time for a few months now. The way I’ve been coping is by watching TV, spending too much time on Facebook, reading the news to the point of depression, and anything else that could render my mind useless. Of course this is not the right way to handle my life! I started studying the book of James this week and remembered this post. It’s funny how our own words can come back to help us to help us at just the right time.
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Dear Terri, we all need reminders. We all go up and down. Even though we wish we could travel in a straight line upward. But life is a roller coaster of ups and downs. I’m so glad that your faith is constant underneath it all. You’re a faithful woman in Gods eyes and in mine. We are all still praying for you each day. I have a feeling that James did not learn this lesson in a day but in a lifetime of challenges and spending so much time in prayer- they called him “camel knees.”
The lessons that you’re learning, re-learning and sharing with us are precious.
Thank you!
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Hey Terr! Thank you for continuing to share. Thank you for being that bold soldier on the battlefield for the Lord who continues to fight the “Good” fight even when it doesn’t seem to be good. Thank you being that twinkle that keeps us hopeful and directs us to the true bright shining, Jesus Christ. God loves you dearly and has favored you. Keep shining my sister…your light was there all along. I love you much!
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Amen! James always challenges and deepens me.
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Terri, this is a great post. I’m glad to be reading some of your earlier posts and found this gem. You have stated two truths so well, “pure joy stays intact when we are facing trials of many kinds.” and “devastating events don’t have to be viewed as negative events.” Those are powerful. Lives are transformed when we come to that realization.
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