Thoughts from July 2010 on why I think these particular verses are bullshit.
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." NIV
I discovered these verses around 10 years ago as a new Christian and had quoted them here and there, mostly when trying to comfort someone in pain or coping with a loss of some sort. They sound great, but in retrospect they probably did more to make me feel better about myself for "caring enough to send the very best" than they did to comfort my hurting friends. In the last 5 years I've been through some very, very tough times. In the midst of these circumstances I probably would have had some pretty contemptful feelings toward someone who'd not been through a similar experience who would have tried to quote these verses to me. Pure joy when facing trials? Trials lead to maturity and wholeness? Sounds good from the outside, but certainly not when covered in some of the worst bullshit life has to offer.
Today on the way home from Reisterstown I realized that these verses actually do represent bullshit to me. Beautiful day, reflecting on good conversation with a great friend, music up, windows down, cross into Carroll County and I'm greeted by that familiar country smell. Manure. A friend from California a month or so ago remarked on how bad it smelled, but growing up surrounded by corn fields, I guess you get used to it. Anyway, I thought for a minute about how gross it was that seeds are covered in manure against their will, but it really is to their benefit. And then somehow these verses came to mind and it made sense to me. I'm of the opinion that there are parables everywhere you look, you just have to be willing to let the Holy Spirit connect the dots for you.
When a seed is planted it's covered with manure, and left in the sun to wait for rain. The combination of sun, rain, and manure miraculously cause the seed to grow to a plant hundreds or thousands of times it's original size. The growth of plants has always blown my mind. Science can theorize all it wants, God made this world. There's no convincing me otherwise.
So these verses say that we have to embrace trials (bullshit) because we gain strength from them and they lead to maturity and completion. This is where I think plants have an advantage over us. Plants have no discernable emotions, desires, low self-esteem, pride, etc. A seed gets covered in manure and it sits and waits for some rain and sun. I get hit with some bullshit and I'm ready to punch somebody. But what if I decide to set my issues aside and and try to rest and look at these bullshit circumstances as opportunities to grow and find strength for the next time I'm faced with something similar? Of course, this is nearly impossible for me to do unless I'm filled with Living Water and standing in the Son.
I'm not suggesting that God sends us these bullshit circumstances. I think, though, that he knows that they strengthen us and that it's to our benefit for Him to not yank us out of them like we usually ask him to. Just about every person in the Bible I can think of was faced with bullshit of one sort or another. The closer they were to God, the better off they were in the long run.
What kinds of fruit am I bearing in my relationships? Am I grafted into the Vine, bearing life giving fruit that strengthens my brother and draws outsiders to me? Or am I a dried up weed covered in bullshit attracting flies?
