Happiness: Fill in the Blank

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing."  -James 1:2-4

Fill in the blank.

"If I could just be like ___________________, I would be happy."

Maybe you think of an actor or actress, a musician, a businessperson, a doctor, a writer, a humanitarian, a great leader, or (if you're a nerd like me) a pastor/theologian like Luther, Bonhoeffer, or Keller.

When we consider the people we admire, it's usually through the lens of pop media or a history book, and neither of these could ever tell the whole story. I don't know about you, but there is always some comfort found when I finally realize that one of my heroes is just as flawed and human as me. It's not that I get pleasure from others weaknesses, but this "real" picture of them gives me hope that I might have a chance at making a similar impact on the world for the Kingdom of God.

The reality is that no matter whose name I fill in the blank, the above statement will simply not... be... true. Becoming like one of my heroes (or envies) will not make me happy, and the same holds true for you.

James, the brother of Jesus, alludes to why this is the case.

He says that God allows or causes trials to come into our lives that we may learn perseverance. But perseverance is not the end game. God's ultimate goal in growing our "faith muscles" (see "Count Trials as Joy" post) is that we may reach PERFECTION.

What?! Perfection?! James couldn't possibly mean what he said.

Well... he does, and he means even more. The word for perfection here means completeness, wholeness, or fulfilling the purpose which you've been given. For James, perfection is all about pressing on to become that which God is making you in Christ Jesus (think Phil. 3:12-14).

And that's why there's only one name that can be filled in the blank above to make the statement true: Jesus.

"If I could just be like Jesus, I would be happy."

If I could be like Jesus, I would be complete, whole, and happy. And this truth is the reason that God is faithful to allow all of our idols and all of our heroes to fall short. It is one of the reasons he allows us to suffer in this broken world: that our affections may turn to another place, a redeemed New Creation wherein we are fully made into the image of Christ.

This is both God's predestined plan (Rom. 8:29) and perfect will (1 Thes. 4:3) for the believer's life.

And this is another great reason to rejoice in trials. God is promising to use them to make us more like Jesus, which is the best thing that could ever happen to us!

Also, it only makes sense that He would use the method of suffering, since our Messiah also completed/fulfilled/made perfect His work through suffering.

Let's rejoice in trials today, knowing that as we persevere in faith, God is forming us into the image of Christ... for our ultimate happiness.