Ever feel like you have been running the race marked out for you and it seems like someone stuck their foot out in front of you and tripped you? I mean the kind of fall that’s more than a skinned knee, but rather the kind that paralyzes you. What then? And why is it we seem so surprised when trials of many kinds creep or slam into our ministries? Maybe we ought to expect them and shift our perspective from IF trials come to WHEN trials come.
“Consider it pure joy when trials come.” Seriously? Who does that? One version of this verse in James 1 calls us to welcome trials as friends. If you’re like me, these are the kinds of so-called friends I’d rather punch in the face. Persevere, James tells us, to mature. Trust, James tells us, so we don’t wither in the scorching heat. Stand firm, he says, so we receive the crown of life. And beware of doubt, James warns, so we aren’t tossed about like waves of the sea.
Intellectually this sounds wise and upright, but practically when slapped with trials, how do we actually live out James’ exhortation to us? One insight I’ve discovered is to lean into our sources of strength. The Sources of Strength Wheel ( https://sourcesofstrength.org/wheel/) is a helpful tool to discover and reflect on self-awareness in this area. I invite you to ponder through each of these areas (family support, positive friends, mentors, healthy activities, generosity, spirituality, physical health, & mental health) to consider areas of strong support you already have in place. In the areas where you are experiencing being depleted, press in to rally supportive sources of strength you need based on your unique wiring as a leader. Ideally, you’ll want to have support in place BEFORE trials come.
Here’s some questions to get started:
With whom am I able to be my authentic self?
Who in my life can help me get regulated when upset or unsettled?
What healthy activities are life giving?
How am I best spiritually fed?
Who do I go to for wise counsel?
May you have sources of strength in place, so that when trials DO come, because they will, you will be able to persevere and stand firm rather than doubt and be “like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind” (James 1:6).
Jen Binford, Coach
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