“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.” — James 1:2-3
It may feel impossible to find joy in trials, yet scripture invites us to see hardships as opportunities for growth. Joy in trials is not about pretending pain doesn’t exist—it is about trusting that God is at work even in the struggle. Joy acknowledges the hurt but also clings to the hope that something redemptive will come from it.
When we face difficulties, we learn perseverance, strength, and deeper faith. These qualities often can’t be cultivated in times of ease. The joy that emerges in trials is not a shallow happiness, but a profound assurance that God is present, shaping us and sustaining us.
Joy in trials is often discovered in hindsight, when we look back and realize how far we’ve come. Yet even in the middle of hardship, we can choose to trust God’s promise that suffering will not have the final say. In that trust, a quiet, unshakable joy takes root.