So far so good, Elections finished on Friday and results should be announced relatively soon so keep praying because things could get interesting then. However, I have learned many things about the country doing some research about the election that sadly not surprisingly Uganda has problems with government corruption. The current president and favorite to win, Musevini, who has been in office for 25 years which has been good and stabilized the country, but come to find out the more you research he is now rigging the elections to make sure he wins and most people know about it. What?! Ya, but peace is more important than a corrupt president. One of the locals informed us that Uganda is like a vicious dog, but scared to bite. Meaning there are lots of people upset with the government situation, but they are too scared to do anything about it. Honestly, this scares me a little bit because it sounds like it is only a matter of time then until the people can’t take it and the same riots of Egypt begin here. This might be soon or not for another 20 years. The locals don’t anticipate problems as Uganda may still be a little bit scared to “bite.” We will see, with that all I can do is pray and put my full trust in the Lord….
The Lord has definitely helped me in the last few days after a bit of hardship and dealing with past sins, God has shown me that those things I thought were gone and dealt with were actually preventing me from representing Him as well and not being able to have Him speak to me as clearly through His Word, but God is now speaking to me so clearly through His Word that I actually am feeling these other Truths so deeply! Here goes one of those that I literally just read and feel God compelling me to share…
It comes from our dear friend, James, the brother of the Jesus Christ. Yep that is correct. Jesus had a brother James, or I guess you would say half brother, since James had an earth father, and Jesus did not. On that note as well, probably would think that maybe James would take advantage of that little stat or tid bit to have on his resume. James however did not brag about this at all. In the open lines of his book, he doesn’t refer to himself as Jesus’ brother, but solely a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ ( James 1:1). Humility? I’d say so.
Verse 2-3 is where I started to get challenged and the Lord just used that to change my heart in some things
“Count it all joy, my brother [and sisters], when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”
James was the leader of the church in Jerusalem just for a little background and with how strong the Pharisees were, who had just murdered Jesus. It is very safe to say that James knew some trials himself and underwent a lot of trials and persecution being the leader of the church in Jerusalem. So James does not speak from an outsider’s perspective whatsoever on this topic of trial. It doesn’t say to count just little bits and pieces of trials as joyful or to be okay and happy with the little parts, but to count it ALL as joy. We don’t pick and choose oh this part I can be joyful about and that part is good too, but yuck that no way that part just stinks and has no value. That is contrary to Scripture. Count it all joy!
Next, the verse says “when” you meet trials, not if, when. We will meet trials. It happens. God is not our buddy, our friend or our homeboy that we go to with our problems and he takes them away forever. God wants to help and will help with things, but coming to Christ doesn’t mean our problems go away. This verse insures us that. Maybe you would argue that the verse is talking about unbelievers that are going through trials, but that contradicts this verse as well as it is clearly speaking to the church of believers (my brothers & sisters). We will meet trials and God wants to use those. God wants us to be joyful in our trials… What?! I absolutely will not be joyful in this circumstance. This circumstance bites and it very well might as I felt my situation was not something I wanted to be joyful about. So I by no means speak as someone who has this down, I failed literally 4 days ago until I read this.
Ok so why would I possibly be joyful? Why would I possibly have joy about this junk going on? Don’t worry James tell us why to be joyful. As our faith is tested in these trials, it produces steadfastness. A consistency of faith, our utter dependence and reliance on God with our faith. Now that is something I can be joyful about! Ok so this thing that is going on my life sucks, and I do not like it, but if it is going to increase my faith in the Lord and my steadfastness (steady, unwavering, fixed). I am so game and I can be joyful about that and I am.
For every trial that I go through here in Uganda, I pray and hope that the Lord gives me strength to look back to these verses and be joyful again. I can be stoked on that! If trials are going to make my faith increase and trust in the Lord, I am alright with that! I want my faith to increase! Don’t you? Think about if your faith was greater… if you truly trusted in the Lord just a little bit more, maybe that would help us not worry about finances and paying bills. Maybe that would help us not worry about all the little daily things that can weigh us down. I know I always want my faith to increase and though trials stink if they are used that God may increase my reliance on Him then I am for it and feel blessed by trials to see and know Him more.
Lastly, verse 4 has to be contemplated along with this chunk of text…
“And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
Dang it, this is what challenges me even further. So I have to be joyful in these trials, okay I can try to do that, but lets get through these trials fast, lets bang them out so I can be done… I don’t think so James says. You have to let them have their full effects. Trials have to take full effect and really be gone through, physically, emotionally or spiritually as I am seeing. Other that problem or whatever may just come back up. We have to deal with these things to the full extent that we need to. I feel like such a child with my response to that just thinking, “Ooh Man, Do I have to?” And the answer here is yes. Why? Not for no reason, but so we can be perfected and complete, lacking in nothing! Once again, alright fine, I can get on board with that. I want my faith and steadfastness to be perfected. Not to lack anything.
This definitely isn’t easy though. I can think about so many things and be like oh yah, how many times did I have to learn that? I am so prideful in so many things and think ya I know, you don’t need to tell me. And until I humble myself I keep having to relearn things. For example, learning to cope with and be okay with the lack of comforts here is kind of a trial to deal with. At first, I was just like okay its fine just get used to it. No comforts here. I, on my own with my strength, can deal with it. Guess what? Wrong, those feelings of missing comfort kept coming up as I tried so hard to be happy with not having comfort. Then finally, I was honest with God that I miss things from home and I am sorry and know I shouldn’t because You gave up everything for me, but I do. Ahhh! Then I felt so much better. God basically said thank you for being honest with me. Quit trying to fool me or yourself that you are happy when you aren’t. Do you trust Me though and that I have a purpose for you here? Yes, God I do, I can say sympathetically. God wasn’t buying it though. He kept challenging me. Do you really believe that? Eventually I did. God wore me down. I do believe that now. I let that have its full effect and God used that to grow my faith and dependence on Him. Now I am joyful to be here and love my cold trickling shower. I count it all as joy! J
Let our experiences have their full effects to be perfected by God. So many lessons we have to learn over because we don’t let them affect us and change us the way God wants to use things.
I hope I did this as faithfully to God as I could. I am human and fallible though, but I believe God has been revealing truth to me through the book of James and I think there will be much more to come from that. If you have questions, critiques, anything, I truly welcome them. I want to have the humility to know that I have things off or not in line with Scripture.
God is definitely doing a lot in my heart right now the more I am learning and He is burdening me with all sorts of different things. Some things I start to think about back in the States are really difficult for me. Seeing people here who have so little, but such great faith and think about all the people in the States who would claim to be Christian, but are so far from that. Jesus is not a hobby to add to your life. It is not a choice between heaven or hell so you claim Jesus to make sure if that is true you get heaven over hell. It is about meeting and knowing Jesus. I believe if you do it will change your whole world and life. Honestly, it is a struggle for me how so many people could claim to know Jesus, but not have that affect them.
And I don’t say this to brag at all because I consider it an honor privilege and blessing that I was chosen to serve God, but I met Jesus a year ago and I am now in Uganda. I am not saying everyone needs to be here or foreign missionaries (actually partially the opposite as we need state side missionaries too!), but Jesus should be evident in our life back home in the States. If we think we are a Christian nation, we are fooling ourselves. I am so burdened and hurt by Sunday or cultural Christians. I want you to know Jesus and experience the love, healing and beauty of knowing there is a God who loves us. God Loves Me! WOW! How can that not change my life? I still fail and sin everyday, but I am chasing Jesus the best I can so that I may refined and rescued from sins to be more like Him daily.
Sorry that is just so constantly hard for me and on my heart.
With Love
K2 J
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