Trials and the Virus

What does COVID-19 have to do with ‘pure joy’? 

Not much, I admit, except that it comes under the umbrella of what ‘Old Camel Knees’ calls ‘trials of many kinds’.  

James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy … whenever you face trials of many kinds….” (James 1:2 NIV).  Pure joy? Consider the tense times in which we live ‘pure joy’? The financial turmoil that many individuals and small businesses are facing as a result of the pandemic cannot be considered ‘pure joy’. The pain and suffering that some patients are enduring and the worry and even grief of their loved ones cannot be considered ‘pure joy’. Even the temporary inconvenience of supermarket shelves being empty and staples unavailable cannot be considered ‘pure joy’.

No. That was never the writer’s intent. It is not the trials that Christians are to consider ‘pure joy’. It is the opportunity to face such trials – we are instructed to consider that opportunity ‘pure joy’. 

That doesn’t sound much better. 

‘Old Camel Knees’

What out-of-touch-with-reality person would write such a thing?

‘Old Camel Knees’ was his nickname. We know him better as ‘James’, the author of the Biblical letter that bears his name. It is generally thought that he was the brother or cousin of our Lord Jesus during his days on earth.  Only after witnessing Jesus’ death and resurrection did he become a follower of Christ. He quickly rose to a senior position in the church. 

History suggests that James was a man of prayer. It was his custom to kneel to pray, hence the calloused knees and the nickname. And he knew a thing or two about trials. 

James was a senior leader in the early church which had been decimated by persecution. He had witnessed a lot and likely endured plenty too. Indeed, it would only be a matter of time before James would be martyred. Tradition suggests that he was thrown from a pinnacle of the temple and finished off by stoning. I wonder if he considered the opportunity to face THAT ‘pure joy’?

Scattered Christians

As for the original readers, they also knew a thing or two about trials. James addressed his readers as ‘the twelve tribes scattered among the nations’ (James 1:1). We know from history that the early Christian Jews scattered because of intense persecution (Acts 8:1). 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds….” (James 1:2). I wonder what kinds of trials they had faced? Did they know something of the trauma, the financial hardships and the ignominy of refugees today? Did they continue to face discrimination and poverty because of their faith, even in other parts of the empire? 

The plight of refugees is a major theme in Scripture. It’s easy to lose sight of that. But I shall hold that thought for another time. Right now, I’m writing from a perspective of our community facing another kind of trial … plague.

A promise and a warning

Having established that both the writer and the original recipients of this letter understood trials, let us now turn our attention to why on earth ‘Old Camel Knees’ would instruct Christians to consider facing trials of many kinds as ‘pure joy’.

In what I am about to share, I am indebted to John Piper’s excellent pair of short meditations on the passage and recommend them to you. They can be found here:  https://www.desiringgod.org/scripture/james/1/labs

The reason Old Camel Knees exhorts his readers to consider facing trials as pure joy is that standing firm under trials brings life. That’s how he put it in James 1, anyhow. His argument goes like this: 

Standing steadfast under trial —> perseverance —> maturity and wholeness —> the crown of life (James 1:2-4, 12)

In contrast, James then describes the slippery slope of temptation. He actually used a slightly different Greek word for ‘temptation’ than ‘trial’ in this next section, though he clearly links the two. That argument goes like this:

Temptation —> dragged and enticed by evil desires within —> sin —> death

Ancient angst

Was James suggesting that we are saved because we stand firm under trial?  After all, he wrote, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.” (James 1:12 NIV)

The second scenario (temptation —> enticement —> sin —> death) is sobering, but it is helpful to remember that there is always the opportunity of repentance this side of death. It is also helpful to notice that temptation itself is not sin. It only leads to sin if we allow ourselves to be dragged and enticed by evil desires. 

Perhaps a better question to ask, though still sobering, is this: Does my perseverance under trial prove my love for God? 

(Actually, I am not alone in my discomfort about James’ emphasis on ‘works’. The issue of ‘grace’ versus ‘works’ has been hotly debated for at least as long as the church has been in existence. Both grace and works are taught in the Bible. We’re saved BY grace FOR good works. It isn’t an either-or option.)

COVID-19

So what does all this have to do with COVID-19? 

It’s all about our attitude. ‘Managing our minds’ has been a theme in my writing for a while, and this week’s blog post is no different. 

Will I approach this time of crisis in my community with an attitude that comes from being rooted and centred in Christ?

Will my church be a centre of stability and hope during these days of chaos?

Will we even go so far as to ‘consider it pure joy’ that we get to stand firm as Christ’s followers during this trial, confident in Christ come what may? 

I’m not saying that we should ignore our feelings and pretend that we’re okay. That would be akin to lying … lying to ourselves, to others and even to God. I am just saying that we must choose to think wisely, as mature Christians. We can go through this particular trial as Christians with a strength that comes from the Holy Spirit.

It’s all very well for me to write these words from the comfort of my home in a comparatively calm corner of the globe. I haven’t been quarantined for weeks on end, physically isolated from my community, with no meaningful work to fill my days. I haven’t watched family or friends struggle to breathe because of the infection, let alone been infected myself. And I don’t want to, either. 

All I have experienced personally so far has been the loss of my regular Sunday morning worship service (but our small group time is ever so more meaningful) and the concern of being almost out of the cat’s preferred litter.

A challenge

I sense that God’s challenge for me this week is this: Will I consider it ‘pure joy’ when I face trials of many kinds? 

Specifically, will I stay centred in Christ as the threat to my community becomes every greater over the coming weeks? Will WE stay centred in Christ as his community in this place? How will I manage my mind?

Christian people the world over are praying earnestly for an end to this epidemic. I see prayerful claims of ‘victory over the virus’ (nice alliteration … surely God will be impressed). I have been moved by a calls for prayers that God would preserve the lives of particular loved ones. I am not saying we should not ask for what we need. Of course we should.

But am I also praying that Christians will stand firm in the face of these trials? Am I praying that those affected will think and interact and live in such a way that reflects our grounded-ness in God and brings him glory? Am I praying that my brothers and sisters in Christ will be radiate peace in the midst of panic? And am I living it myself? 

To be honest, I don’t really know to pray. Or how to act. Thankfully, Old Camel Knees reminds us that God is the source of wisdom and we need but ask for it. He also reassures us that “God … gives generously to all without finding fault” (James 1:5). I don’t have to ‘have it all together’. I don’t need to know the answers. 

An ancient Israelite king led the people in a powerful prayer during a time of crisis. They prayed, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.” (2 Chronicles 20:12b). Perhaps that prayer is enough for us too.

Another chocolate muffin?

Today’s blog post has been heavy. Let me finish on a lighter note. Chocolate muffins. 

I currently have several delicious chocolate muffins in my freezer.  They were a gift. I had thought that freezing them would prevent me from overindulging, but I have since discovered that frozen chocolate muffins are even better than fresh ones. Not helpful. 

It’s fine to have an occasional treat. I’m currently tracking what I eat on an app and my FitBit keeps track of how much I exercise. A treat is just fine so long as energy input doesn’t regularly exceed energy expenditure.

I sat on my porch yesterday afternoon. It was a glorious autumn day. As I meditated on James 1,  I enjoyed a chocolate muffin. But they are rather small. A second would be nice. And it is Sunday … a day of rest … a day when the rules don’t apply … right? 

The desire for another chocolate muffin is surely not a trial. But it is a temptation. Almost two thousand years ago, the man of prayer known as ‘Old Camel Knees’ also wrote that, “… each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed….” 

Hmmm … the desire for a second muffin isn’t sin, but my evil desires are indeed dragging me away and enticing me. Sin is getting closer.  

Wisdom is needed. And acknowledgement that this is a temptation. I guess that being ‘real’ about where I am at is wisdom.

Right. It’s clearly time for a walk. Not for a second muffin. 

The unchanging Father of heavenly lights

Treats are not bad. James went on to write, “Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows….” (James 1:16-17).  Surely chocolate is a gift of God … in moderation. 

And as we face much MUCH bigger issues than chocolate muffins, we can also face them confident that we belong to the one who does not change like shifting shadows.

It took quite some mental gymnastics to consider the opportunity to resist a second muffin ‘pure joy’. My initial response to the desire was not, “Oh goodie, I get to persevere.” And I certainly wouldn’t have even attempted to consider that opportunity ’pure joy’ had I not been in James 1 right there and then. 

Let me add that only one muffin was consumed in the production of this week’s blog post.

Managing my mind in ‘real trials’ is going to take a bit more mental discipline.