Finding Joy Through Perseverance

Everyday when I wake up, I think of support raising.

During the day, my mind often drifts to support raising.

At night right before I close my eyes, the last thought is usually support raising.

And I'm not sure that's what God intended support raising to be. Take a look after the jump.

Thankfully, we have this to look to:

"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. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. - James 1:2-7 (NIV)

This is one of my favorite verses of the Bible because it shows two truths about trials: (1) there's a purpose and reason for them (2) there's a surefire way of getting through them.

I remember the first time I read this, I wondered why God chose to use the word "joy" to describe going through trials. At the surface, it doesn't sound too appealing to suffer. But at closer look, we see that it's not joy in the pain of suffering, it's the joy in what is at the end of the pain. Why should we take joy? Because we will grow more mature and therefore grow closer to God. The purpose for adversities isn't so that God can see us suffer; it's a door of opportunity for us to show our faith and depend on Him.

But it doesn't end there. He knows that trials are tough and it's much easier to give up. He knows it doesn't feel good to be stretched. But He promises that it's worth it, and a guaranteed way to get through it. How? Through wisdom. Wisdom is what we need to get through trials. It's not exactly what we want because let's face it, 9 times out of 10 we want to get rid of the trial. It's also not going to immediately answer why this is happening. But God promises that it is exactly what we need to get through trials and adversities.

So back to my summer and support raising. My main prayer is to find joy through these challenges. I repent that I've been relying on my own strength lately. As a result, doubts, fears, and worries have taken over my heart. I pray that joy, hope, and wisdom will fill it instead.

I also have praises to lift up. My latest calculations, I've raised up roughly 30% of my total goal. Praise God for providing! I'm amazed at the doors that God has been opening up for me this summer. If you could lift up a quick prayer for my support to be quickly completed, that'd be awesome.

What a ride this has been already. I'm excited for this last month... the final stretch!