Consider it pure joy?

So I have been sick the last couple of days with what the doctor called, Laryngitis. I don't know if I really had laryngitis, but I was pretty sick. The doctors here are a little different. I don't know if they fully know what they are doing, but they give out antibiotics for pretty much anything. So in the end it works out. Anyway, this "laryngitis" basically made me really congested, totally exhausted, and gave me a minor sore throat. If I had to guess, I think it was caused by the dust that we are constantly breathing in. It's kind of crazy how dusty it is here. As of right now I am feeling almost 100% again. While I was sick, though, I had small periods of time to read in between sleeping and eating(thankfully I still had somewhat of an appetite).

I started to think how much it really sucked to be sick. Especially, when I would be trying to sleep and our neighbor would be cutting wood with his different power tools or listening to the kids in the streets constantly yelling at each other or hearing loud music from a nearby wedding. Obviously, all of those things tended to annoy me much more when I was sick.

However, while I was reading my bible I was reminded of the verse in James, "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance." (1: 2-3) And then I couldn't help but think of the Apostles of the early church when they were brought before the Sanhedrin and they were all flogged. After they were flogged, it says in verse 41 of Acts chapter 5, "The apostles left the Sanhedrin, rejoicing because they had been counted worthy of suffering disgrace for the Name." I know that my suffering was nothing compared any of the apostles suffering, but it helped me change my perspective. I started to dwell on how I could have this sickness, but at the same time have this mentality of joy for what I was going through for the name of Christ.

I don't think it is about not having an emotion other than happiness during any hard circumstance, but rather, it's having those emotions and at the same time having this sense of joy that goes beyond any of those momentary emotions. I don't know if any of this makes sense to you, but it is what I've been thinking and reading about.

Please leave any comments or shoot me an email if you happen to look at these verses differently. I'd love to hear your insight.

Before I go, let me tell you what else I've been reading: "The Irresistible Revolution" by Shane Claiborne, The Bible, and Deitreich Bonhoeffer's "The Cost of Discipleship." So check them out if you get a chance. Until next Saturday, hope you all are doing well.


God is good. All the time.
Dan