Consider it all joy, my brothers and sisters,
when you encounter various trials,
for you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
And let perseverance be perfect,
so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
But if any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly,
and he will be given it.
But he should ask in faith, not doubting,
for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea
that is driven and tossed about by the wind.
For that person must not suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord,
since he is a man of two minds, unstable in all his ways.
I just love the words in this reading! Consider it joy when you encounter trials. Joy seems like the last thing I feel when I am struggling. Yet, if we understood the purpose of the crosses that Christ calls us to bear, then we really would be joyful! Know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. This is our reason to be joyful amidst suffering. These times that are most difficult, that leave us without hope, that test us in every possible way - they are given to us as a GIFT from God to strengthen us in our faith. Let [your] perseverance be perfect so that you may be PERFECT and COMPLETE, lacking in nothing. Beautiful! We can only become the holy saints that we long to be, we can only become complete (truly ourselves) when we persevere in our trials. And this is my favorite part: (paraphrased) But if you lack wisdom, ask God who gives to all generously, and He will give it to you. If you cannot understand the beauty and purpose of the cross that Christ is calling you to bear, ask for wisdom - the wisdom that will draw you closer to God and purify your heart that you may understand His ways. And I think this next part is MOST important: But you should ask in faith, not doubting. How often are the words of our prayer said without an ounce of faith that God will give us everything that we need! How often do we ask for wisdom, for understanding, but in vain - for our heart does not yet truly believe that God can indeed give us what we ask for. But our prayer should be just the opposite - we must have every confidence that God will give to us everything that we need. When we pray for wisdom or for understanding or whatever it is we pray for, it is in vain lest we truly BELIEVE that God will give it (or if not what we ask for, what we truly need) to us.
