Count It All Joy: Who Does That?

Count it all joy! Have you heard these words before? Is that even possible? How can you count it all joy when life’s challenges are coming at you, often times one right after another, before you have time to recover from the challenge before?

I have heard the saying, “count it all joy,” in church for many years, and it has always baffled me. I wanted to believe that counting it all joy was possible for the longest time, but I just couldn’t understand it and simply didn’t get it.

Though I couldn’t quite grasp the concept, I never gave up trying to figure it out!

In my search to learn more, I discovered in the Bible, James 1:2-4 “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing” – (English Standard Version).

James is telling believers that we should approach our challenges with family, finances, illnesses, and other hardships as deposits into the account of our lives, not as withdrawals.

Wow, what a statement! Finding joy in bad things seems backward from our typical reaction to issues. He is not talking about our immediate, emotional response to broken relationships, or an illness, or the loss of a loved one. Naturally, we feel devastated by these situations.

However, he is talking about how we categorize that moment when assessing our lives as a whole. James’s readers were facing poverty and persecution, but he purposefully uses the words trials of various kinds, which covers every challenge that James does not specifically name.

While James 1:2-4 is still a hard Scripture to understand and follow, let’s unpack it a bit more.

While we may not control our circumstances, we can control how we think about our reactions to events.

As believers in Christ, we are not to blame God for our desire to sin or for the bad things that happen to us, but we do credit Him for every good thing in our lives.

When bad things happen, we can immediately say, “This is terrible. I’m having a bad day. My life is going wrong. Why did this happen to me?” or we can change our self-talk and say, “This is a bad thing, but I will get through it. I will learn and be stronger from this situation. I will call the growth and strength worth rejoicing over, even while it hurts.”

My goal is to highlight how God has been with me through dark times and trials in my life. After several years of living an unfulfilled life on my terms, I eventually committed to living life God’s way.

I am amazed to see how He has used circumstances to change and shape me. As described in James1:2, God has shown me how to “count it all joy,…” which I didn’t know was possible.

Through God’s Word, my life is being transformed, and on several occasions, I’ve put God’s Word into practice, seeing the changes in my life and in the lives of those around me.

Looking at my life, I can say I am a work-in-progress. My life has been a journey that has been lived in God’s strength, not my own.

When I didn’t honestly know God’s character or fully understand the Bible, I took the challenges and issues of everyday life as punishment. I didn’t truly understand that trials are to mature me in the moment of darkness. I haven’t always used the Bible to manage my life, trials, and challenges.

Counting it all joy is not how my journey to joy began. Those four words, count it all joy, were not in my thoughts or on my lips in the early years. As I matured in age, I made my own money and decisions. I didn’t sincerely pray to God about my decisions, which caused unfulfillment and pain.

In all honesty, I prayed prescriptive prayers to God and wanted Him to bless the request and fulfill it as requested. Let’s just say I took the long route to reach God.

I’ve been inspired to share what God has given me to share with others and what God has placed on my heart and in my hands.

Thanks to God, He has guided me through breast cancer, miscarriages, job loss, divorce, and marriage.

I’m pleased to say that my life challenges made me better, not bitter. God has restored what was lost.

Giving thanks to God again, I’m a breast cancer survivor, and I have employment that’s fulfilling and allows me time to spend time with Him, my family, and serve. I also have a thriving daughter, and I’m recently remarried to a wonderful man.

Please don’t keep what God has given to you to yourself. Share it! Flaws and all. Truth be told, we are all flawed. However, our flaws can be used by God. Believe me, I know I am flawed, and I am permitting myself to share a flaw or two, as well as a brief view into my spiritual journey, with others in the hopes that they might find encouragement and be an inspiration for others to share their stories.

We all have a God-given talents, thoughts, experiences or words that need to be shared with others in various forms. I pray that you start the journey or continue the journey to develop, grow, and mature your relationship with God.

In my Count It All Joy journey, adherence to God’s Word has made a difference in my life. The trials and challenges strengthened my faith as I’ve followed God.

I have learned to count it all joy, even during trials. I am learning to thank God in advance of the outcome, even if it is an outcome I may not agree with. I have come to trust and believe that God knows what I need when I need it. He’s a good Father. I can now Count It All Joy, Including the Broken Pieces.

My trials have helped me trust God more. Are you able to start or continue to Count It All Joy?

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