Faith

"James, a servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, To the tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings."
This is how James begins his letter. What he writes next isn't something most would want to read.
James 1:2-4 "Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.' He is telling us to take joy in our trials, that doesn't sound right. Why would we want to take joy in the trials we face? Let's keep reading, 'because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverence. Perseverence must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Has your faith ever been tested? Once I was in the hospital and the doctors told us that I couldn't possibly go home in less than eight months. I couldn't believe it.. eight months of my freshman year of highschool stuck in a hospital. My family, my friends, and a lot of people I didn't even know began to pray that God would heal me quickly. Along with all the prayers my father encouraged me to eat when I didn't feel hungry, do my therapy when I didn't feel like it, and walk when I was tired. It was all preparation to get myself ready to go home. God answered all the prayers, and because I had taken action and prepared to go home, I walked out of that hospital in thirty-three days.
Something I never realized is that it was Biblical for me to do all I did. We had faith I would get better, but we took action as well. In James 2:17 it says, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead." Also in James 2:26 "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." I'm not saying that God wouldn't have healed me if I hadn't eaten, done therapy, or walked; but the doctors probably wouldn't have released me because I wouldn't have been physically ready. I took action, had faith in God, and through Him a miracle happened.
Life gets very difficult at times, but if we let ourselves get depressed how is it suppose to help us, it doesn't. If you stay happy or "Take joy", in the difficult times it will lift you up and bring you out of the hard times with a smile on your face. If we are never tested how are we to know our full capabilities? If our faith was never tested how would it get stronger? If life was always easy why would we need faith? So you see, your faith being tested results in you being complete.
In James 1:12 it says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him." With faith in God, perseverence, and actions, life can and will be a lot easier.
James made it pretty clear how we are to live by faith. Let's take action, have faith, and run after God!