On this first day of May, I’m thinking of a happy scene. In my imaginary picture, a few brown cows munch on grass and chew their cuds. A black fence surrounds their field, and a red barn stands to one side over in the distance.
Above this tranquil scene, the light blue sky holds puffy white clouds with streaks of sunlight pouring through. All the while, the cows are chewing, swallowing, then bringing the cud up to chew again so that it can be well digested.
Yuck! Not the best thought, but our scene is serene, predictable, and pleasant, kind of like those moments when everything is right in our world. We’re filled with joy. We smile, content as a cow chewing her cud.
But, what do we do when thunderclouds form, the sky turns dark, lightning flashes, and torrents of rain beat down on us? We follow the cows into the barn for protection. As we stand shivering in the chill, we notice the cows have calmed down and have begun to chew their cud again.
Thus is real life. All is well. We go along in predictable “chewable” patterns. We enjoy bites of good pleasure, when out of the blue, there’s a car wreck or a cancer diagnosis, a death, a disappointment, or a pang of loneliness, a failure, a disagreement, or a heartbreak.
How do we survive in those rough times? James asks us to persevere, and in so doing, it builds our character.
Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4
I don’t know about you, but I find it hard to consider trials as pure joy. I do understand how the testing of our faith rather forces us into persevering, When we “stick with it” many times over, it makes the next time more bearable. As we mature in this, we’re better able to take on the next test of our fafith. In essence, we’re learning to depend on God to give us strength for each new trial.
In many ways, perseverance is closely related to persistence, doggedly keeping on with the task. It’s kind of like the cow chewing her cud.
Our spiritual cud consists of reading and earnestly studying Scripture on a regular basis, rolling it around in our minds to glean its truths and its practical applications, checking verses before and after, to get total context.
Our spiritual cud is making time to pray, slowly, patiently, not thinking of the next thing on the agenda. Drawing into a cubicle that is just you and your heavenly Father. Seeking his face. Speaking your desires. Pleading your needs. Listening, focusing, fervently seeking him.
These are the things that sustain us, that make it possible to persevere in stormy times, to learn and grow from our setbacks.
Let’s keep chewing, my friends!
~ Joyce ~