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:

How to Change Your Mind

I was at a food safety seminar recently, and the subject of how to get people to practice better sanitation standards came up. The remark was made that in many cases people know what good sanitation standards are and can easily pass quizzes on the most important points, and yet so many food-handlers don’t practice them. The speaker remarked that indeed we all do this sometimes – we know that we should wash our hands after going to the restroom, but sometimes we just don’t. Why is that, and what does it have to do with God?