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by Logan Ames

When I was in high school, I had to wear braces on my teeth for close to two years. I was told that was late compared to many people, but it was especially problematic for me because I played football during my sophomore and junior years. I had to wear a special mouthpiece to deal with my braces, and if I ever got knocked around a little harder than usual, the braces could easily cut into the inside of my cheeks and cause bleeding. On top of this, I remember how painful it was when the braces were first put on and how painful it was later when they were first taken off. There was an adjustment period during which I had to endure the pain. As my United States Marine Corps brother likes to say, “Pain is weakness leaving the body."

Part of what has made my brother and I have a high tolerance for pain has been the attitude and perspective instilled in us at a very young age by our father. Anytime I would whine and complain about the pain associated with having braces, my dad would say something like, “Just remember, Logan, it’s temporary pain for lasting gain." I knew what he meant. The lasting gain of a nice smile would make the temporary pain of an uncomfortable mouth seem worth it. But when all I could SEE and experience was the pain, that statement was irritatingly unhelpful!

I’m sure you all can relate as you think back to a painful time in your life from your past, or possibly even some pain you’re dealing with now. Someone close to you is telling you it will be okay or that it will all be worth it in the end, and you just want them to leave you alone and let you sulk. Truthfully, your friend is right. We’re all susceptible to developing a complaining spirit when we’re in pain, but Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 13:11 that a sign of physical and spiritual maturity is putting childish thinking and childish ways behind us. As mature adults, especially those who follow Jesus as Lord, it is imperative that we always keep an eye on eternity.

James encourages his readers who are experiencing suffering, which could’ve been as a result of poverty, persecution, or oppression, to focus on the eternal reward that awaits them. This is a huge matter of faith and trust in the God who knows and sees everything when all we can see is what’s right in front of us. In James 5:7-9, taken with the previous verses in that chapter, it appears that James is writing to the poor brothers and sisters who have been swindled and oppressed by the rich and the greedy. He urges them to be patient during the affliction they are facing “until the Lord’s coming” and uses the example of a farmer who waits for his crops to further illustrate the point. A farmer cannot control the entire process and he cannot know with certainty when his land will finally yield the valuable crop it’s supposed to be yielding. All he can do is work hard, take care of the things that are within his control, and then wait. He waits patiently for the rains in autumn and spring because he knows they will mean that the harvest is near. The farmer knows it’s not a matter of IF the rains come, but a matter of WHEN. In the same way, the believer and follower of Jesus knows it’s not a matter of IF He will return, it’s a matter of WHEN.

Because of the knowledge of Christ’s impending return, mature believers have good reason to “be patient and stand firm” (James 5:8). Being patient in the midst of pain simply means to endure it without complaining. When I’m impatient with my loved ones or in the middle of traffic, I generally have that complaining spirit and it’s like I’m dumbfounded that the rest of the world is not operating on my schedule and according to what is in my best interest. In those moments, I’m convinced that I could have patience if everyone else did what they are supposed to do and everyone treated me fairly. In other words, I could be patient and stand firm in my faith as long as I never experienced anything to test my patience or shake my faith!

Anyone who follows Jesus and tries to live as a disciple of Him can be certain of difficulties from now until the time of the Lord’s coming. It’s not possible for one to take an honest look at Scripture and see it any differently. Jesus Himself told His followers, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). It wasn’t a prediction; it was a promise! Later, after the Apostle Paul was stoned and dragged out of the city of Lystra and left for dead, he and Barnabas concluded, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). They rightly understood that if their ultimate inheritance and gain was to be with Jesus in the kingdom, then they had to be willing to suffer on this earth to get there.

Unfortunately, many people today, even Christians, are looking for the easiest possible path to receive the greatest possible gain. I’ve spoken to potential leaders and pastors over the years who are only willing to go through formal training and education if it’s relatively easy. My friends, this is the opposite of how God does things! There were even some individuals when I was in seminary who were caught plagiarizing, which is a form of cheating. Anyone who has been in full-time ministry knows that it can be very difficult, and that taking the easy path to get there will only set you up for failure and disappointment once you have the title or position.

At a recent small group Bible study, my friends and I discovered a striking difference between the Israelites in the half-tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim (together the “people of Joseph”). The story is found in Joshua 17:12-18. The people complain to Joshua that he didn’t give them enough land for all their people as he is doling out the allotments of the Promised Land to each tribe. They claim to be a “numerous people," but Joshua challenges them to go and drive out the Canaanites and take the land for themselves, IF they are as great as they think they are. Even though they are far more numerous than the native peoples AND God has promised to give them the land, they respond by telling Joshua that the Canaanites there have chariots fitted with iron. In other words, they want Joshua to give them more land, but they are not willing to do the hard work and endure the little bit of suffering required to earn it. In contrast, Caleb is an 85-year-old man who, in Joshua 14:10-12, is willing to go to battle to take possession of the land he and his family are being given and to go through whatever pain is necessary, even battling the Anakites who were literal GIANTS, in order to receive the gain he wanted. He had this boldness because he knew the Lord would help him (v. 12). Because of his willingness to depend on the strength of the Lord to accomplish whatever God set him apart to do, he is described in Joshua 14:14 as following the Lord “wholeheartedly."

Is your faith wholehearted like Caleb, or half-hearted like the people of Joseph? That question can be answered by considering how much you are willing to endure any pain that is associated with receiving the gain that is coming your way when Jesus returns. James knows that when we are not willing to go through a little bit of pain and we are about to give up, that is when we lose patience and even begin to grumble with one another. We expect someone else to fix it for us. James says we cannot do this because we are opening ourselves up to God’s righteous and holy judgment (James 5:9). Instead of blaming others for our suffering, let’s all commit to encouraging one another to endure it as part of the process of receiving the eternal gain that awaits us. May God bless you as you patiently persevere!

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