No one is promised a trial-free life. Just as it was required for Christ to suffer, trials are not optional for those who follow Christ. James writes that there will be different kinds of trials. Someone puts it like this about trials: they are ‘like different temperature settings in God’s furnace’. So, how do we respond to them? We face every trial with joy. Experiencing joy in suffering is not something that is humanly possible. Joy is not some temporal feeling of happiness. It has an eternal element, because it is the fruit of the Spirit.

Trials essentially “test our faith”, producing perseverance—also the fruit of the Spirit. Perseverance is a quality that makes it possible to persist through the next trial, quite possibly a tougher one. But, why endure trials? Imagine with each trial God drawing us one step closer to perfection. And, what does that perfection look like? Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! In this we find joy, that God produces in us eternal characteristics, making us look a lot like His Son. When we understand the great value of enduring our trials, we mature spiritually and find power to face bigger ones.

What a small price to pay with our temporary trials in comparison to the eternal perfection in Christ. May we joyfully face all our trials knowing that one day we will be made perfect—like Jesus.

James 1:2-4
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.