“My bretheren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith creates patience.”

James 1:2 is a familiar scripture. But recently it took on new light for me during a study of the beginning passages of the opening chapter of that particular epistle. James addresses his brothers and sisters in the Lord, which by association includes those in the present-day church. Simply put, James is writing to us.

He encourages us to “count” something or “chalk up” something, if you will. When my children were learning to count in school, the teacher would have them use tally marks; four vertical ones and a fifth diagonally over the rest would count as five. In a sense, James is encouraging us to chalk up with the proverbial spiritual tally marks those times when we get tested. More about that later.

To what are we to chalk up these trying experiences? To joy. We know that true joy comes when we are walking with Jesus according to his father’s word, the Bible. We also know that the joy of the Lord is our strength. So, it follows then that when we go through a trying experience, instead of expressing frustration we ought to chalk up these trying experience to strengthening or an exercise of our faith. That’s easier said than done, I know. But in a very real sense, we are getting a spiritual workout when we endure trials. Our faith muscles are being worked out and strengthened.

What sort of trials are we talking about? We all know about the big ones; a death in the family, a less than positive medical diagnosis, a difficult work environment. The list goes on. But faith tests even happen when we get caught driving behind that little old lady traveling eight miles an hour in a 45-mph zone. You’ve been there, right? Or how about when we are in a hurry and we line up in the 20 items or less express lane and the person in front of you has 21 items and the cashier calls for a price check on the third item. You’ve been there too, haven’t you? I heard an evangelist once call those experiences as “spiritual lice.”

When we’re going through these “little tests” of our faith they seem as enormous as the others I just mentioned. But what if we began viewing those times behind that little old lady and those times in the express lane as mini faith workouts? James 1:3 makes it very clear what will happen when we have that approach. Those tests, all tests, will help develop patience. We will become slow to speak, slow to anger and quick to listen, won’t we?

So, the next time you have to deal with an ignorant boss or have to change a flat tire on the way to your child’s concert or any other “spiritual lice,” take a deep breath, say a little prayer and relax. Realize that you’re getting a faith workout. It will all be over soon and you’ll be stronger for it.

-Ben Hanneman