Rejoice in Suffering

The New Testament takes quite a stand on the attitude that we should have towards trials. There is a familiar scripture in James that says:

James 1:2-4

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 

We are supposed to rejoice whenever bad things happen to us because it helps us develop perseverance. Furthermore, this verse indicates that by persevering, we are made “mature and complete, not lacking anything.” But how does perseverance make us complete? Paul’s letter to the church of God in Rome describes this process in more detail:

Romans 5:3-5

We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which He has given us. 

Ok, so step 1 on the road to becoming mature and complete from our suffering is that these trials teach us to persevere. Then the benefit of perseverance is that it builds character. That’s not hard to understand – as you endure more trials, you become more patient and understanding and you develop more faith in God to bring you through whatever comes your way. But how does character give us hope?

That isn’t quite as intuitive of a connection as the others, so here is my understanding. I’ve often said that one of the most powerful proofs of God’s existence is in how He transforms peoples’ lives. I myself am witness to this in my own life as well as in many of my friends’ lives. I haven’t been made perfect by any means, but I have seen God drastically change both my behavior and my entire thought process, and I see this transformation going on every single day. Isn’t that the whole point of the New Covenant? I wrote an article on this subject a few months ago (It’s All About the Heart), explaining that one major point of the New Covenant is that God will give us His spirit, and by His Spirit He will change our hearts so that we can keep His law:

Ezekiel 36: 26-27

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. 

From this I gain my understanding of how developing character gives us hope: because we know that it is God who gives us character, we see that He is fulfilling the promise laid out in the prophets to give us His Spirit and a new heart; therefore, we are assured that He will also keep His promises to resurrect us from the dead to eternal life if we faithfully continue to seek Him and follow His ways. Now the verses in Romans make more sense, when it says "hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, which He has given us." To see ourselves becoming different, according to God's promise of the Holy Spirit, assures us of the promises yet to come. The hope that comes from God will not disappoint us.