Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy (James 1:2).  
I never fully understood this verse until I saw it play out. 

My husband is full of joy. He has a wonderful, playful humor that helps him see the funny side of the most ridiculous situations. 

The Test

Early one Sunday morning, I woke up to realize that my husband had suffered a stroke that robbed him of his speech and mobility on his right side. 

At the hospital, while waiting for the results from the X-rays and scans, my husband chuckled. At first, I thought he had a strange reaction to the shock, and that what had happened to him had finally registered. But I soon laughed with him when he pointed out that the monitor meant to measure his blood pressure and other vital signs wasn’t attached to him. It measured something, but not his vitals. 

It was the first of many difficult days we faced. Some days I felt hopeful, while other days I felt disappointed and depressed. These were the times my husband would simply point upward, as a reminder to focus on God and trust in Him. 

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! (Philippians 4:4) 
If my husband ever feels despondent, I don’t know about it. He laughs, a lot. He finds joy in little things. He trusts in God. His hope is in God. God is his anchor. 

Adapting to Circumstances 

His inability to speak has led to finding other unique ways to communicate. We have short periods together as I work during the day, and communication is difficult. He often types messages on his phone when I am slow to understand him. 

He had to find ways to amuse himself when I am at work. He has never been fond of reading, but he has turned to reading and watching documentaries and other informative programs. He has become particularly fond of documentaries about snake-handling, and I watch some of these with him when I am home. We didn’t know that snakes are scared of humans, and try to avoid them, biting only when threatened or cornered. 

We have adapted to our circumstances, but life with my husband remains challenging and joyful at the same time. We rejoice, not because of our troubles, but in them. God is faithful. We rejoice in knowing that He is with us, and He will never leave us.  
For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you” (Hebrews 13:5b).

Facing Reality

We weren’t prepared for a future in which my husband would be disabled. Neither one considered such a possibility when we thought about our futures. I don’t know how we would’ve managed without God. Fortunately, He never leaves or forsakes us.

Our personal trials reflect the uncertainty, and broader challenges of the world today. We live in perilous times. Our children are exposed to things we never had to deal with at their age. Their ability to freely access information on the internet is both informative and dangerous as it potentially exposes them to harmful content. 

When we watch the news, we can find many reasons to despair. There are wars and rumors of war, natural disasters, famine, hunger, and persecution of Christians and Christianity worldwide. Yet, in all of this, I encourage you to fix your eyes on Jesus, and to trust Him, regardless of your circumstances. 

Allow His joy to flood your soul, give you peace, and fill you with hope. 

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).