Being joyful in suffering: Is it possible, and why should I?
Should we be happy about experiencing suffering? I’ll assume your answer is “no” (perhaps you added all caps and an exclamation point). Should we be joyful? James, the brother of Jesus says “yes!” Do you agree?
Before my non-Christian readers tune out, I’d like to ask you to read on because, a) what if the attitude he’s describing here is accords with reality? And b) I have something more I’d like you to consider.
Here is what James says:
“Consider it pure joy when you encounter (or face or experience or meet or fall into) all sorts of (various) trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.” (Jam. 1:2-4)
This is such a counterintuitive idea to have, I’ll plunge immediately into the objections. First, note that, whether you agree with it or not, James has a reason why you should consider trials to be a joy, i.e., he is not simply a masochist. Second (and primarily), I’d like to address the resistance that this attitude is realistic—or possible.
From personal experience, I can tell you it’s possible. However, because it’s so challenging to our ingrained thinking patterns, it requires intentionality, practice, and a different mindset. Beginning with a shift in mindset, the question we must ask ourselves is, how am I spending my life? Am I spending it on myself and all and only what I want to make myself “happy,” or am I investing in my character and growth to be a benefit to others and to the world? If the former, adopting James’s attitude will be impossible. If the latter, it is the first step toward considering trials joy.
Second, it requires intentionality. Our natural way of reacting to trials is some combination of anger, frustration, sadness, or possibly despair. This is reflexive in the same way that putting your hand up when someone tosses a ball to you is reflexive. Therefore, if you do not intentionally choose to do otherwise, you will fall into your normal patterns of thinking and reacting. Finally, this takes practice. Ideally, it is best to practice taking this attitude with the small annoyances we all face daily. Think about being stuck in traffic, waiting on hold (forever), or when that person does that thing that is so irksome. Rather than indulging in that reflexive attitude, instead, remind yourself that it is merely an annoyance that you can, instead, choose to take joy in because of the transformation it is producing in you. This is not easy, nor is the shift immediate, which is why it takes practice.
I hope I’ve convinced you that it is at least possible to take the attitude of counting your trials as joy. Now I’d like to try to convince you to do it. A prudential reason to do it is, if it is true that we would like to become increasingly virtuous, i.e., people growing in character, this is, likewise, a reason to do this.
However, becoming an increasingly virtuous person may not currently be sufficient motivation for something so challenging. I could go into spiritual reasons to do this, such as becoming more like God in his character. This is a substantial—possibly the best—reason to do this. But instead of beginning with the most important, and the most far-sighted, I will begin by appealing to our nature as creatures who desire the best outcomes: doing this will produce the best outcome.
Bluntly, if your attitude in the face of suffering is one of joy rather than anger and bitterness, that is clearly better for your emotional, mental, and physical health both now and—as you continue to practice it—into the future. And not only is it better for you in those ways, you will become, over time, a better version of yourself. Wouldn’t you prefer to respond with joy in suffering because of the work being done in you rather than the way you (we) normally react? And as you transform in this way, over time, you will also be able to impact others in their struggles. I’ll end here with this practical, logical reason to engage and practice the difficult task of choosing to adopt an attitude of joy rather than entitled anger when you face trials. I’ll pick up next time with additional ways we might be able to implement this (and benefit from it) that may be new to you. Stay tuned!