“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”
You ask, what is so joyful about trial, frustration, extra effort, detours, barriers? The rest of the sentence says, “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” (James 1:2) It goes on to say that the work of perseverance is to make you complete, not lacking anything.
Truly, there is little joy in trial, in frustration, in detours, but if we continue forward, believing that we will reach our goal, perseverance will grow in us and will end with us becoming fully who we are made to be. This word tells us to consider it pure joy from the beginning, not waiting until the end. Experience teaches us that unbounded exhilaration comes after we have worked so hard to make it through. So why not choose joy from the beginning and let that joyful expectation of reaching the end afford us the strength for the journey?
That is what this design is all about. It is made from pansies. What flower is happier than a pansy? Even in the snow, it smiles up at you! These Flowergirls look like they are rising! Joy lifts you up, and we can have joy, because we choose it. I call this Flowergirls design “Stars” because we are each a rising star destined for glory.
This image may be purchased as a blank note card at www.InFlower.etsy.com.