Don't Ignore the Stop Signs

As I reflected on the verse, “When troubles of any kind come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow…” (James 1:2-3), several words stood out to me:

• Trouble
• Joy
• Opportunity
• Tested
• Endurance
• Grow

I found it striking that these words appear together, suggesting that even in our struggles, there is space for growth, joy, and resilience. Logically, we understand this. But when we face deep loss or pain, especially grief, it doesn’t always feel like joy or growth. It often feels unbearable, as if the weight of our sorrow will never lift. Grief, particularly, can feel like an overwhelming darkness, one that isolates and consumes us. And during those moments, it seems impossible to find joy.

But I can’t shake the call in this verse: “Consider it an opportunity for GREAT joy.” Not just small, passing joy, but GREAT joy. But how do we experience this joy amid such sorrow?

I recently lost my brother after a long battle with cancer. Watching him suffer and feeling helpless at times, I questioned how I could find joy in the midst of such loss. My faith was tested, and my endurance stretched thin. But in those moments, the words of James 1:2-3 began to come alive for me.

In the darkest hours, I found unexpected glimpses of grace. Neighbors knocked on my door. Prayers flooded in. Friends and family, who had also faced loss, walked alongside me, connecting with my pain. They understood. Their own grief had opened their hearts, enabling them to be present with mine.

I began to realize that GREAT joy wasn’t the absence of grief, it was the assurance that God was showing up in the midst of it. He was present in the prayers, in the support, in the small acts of kindness. My grief became a pathway to encounter God’s peace, His love, and His strength. My wounds were still raw, but in them, I found a deeper understanding of who God is. Our scars become part of our story, and God gently guides us forward.

Each time my faith was tested, and my endurance felt exhausted, I only had to reach out, and God had someone there to hold my hand. Through this, I began to understand what it truly means to experience GREAT joy in hardship. We are not exempt from life’s pain, but in those moments, we can still find God with us, walking beside us.

Life is full of stop signs, moments that signal us to slow down, pause, and reflect. They exist to protect us and to help us prepare for what comes next. But too often, we rush through, doing what I call a "rolling stop"-slowing down only slightly, but never fully pausing. We numb the pain, hoping it will fade, but it catches up eventually. The stop signs are there to remind us that it’s okay to mourn, to sit in the grief, and to reflect.

During my own stop signs, I reflected on who I was as a sister and how my role in my family had shifted. I also thought about those who stayed with me, who walked through my grief with me. The people who stayed through it all reminded me that even in the darkest times, we don’t walk alone.

In many ways, life requires us to honor these stop signs, to pause, reflect, and make sure we’re ready to move forward. And in those pauses, even in our deepest sorrow, we begin to see the presence of God, in our family, our community, our friends, and our church. It is in these stop signs that we find GREAT joy. It’s when we slow down that we see how God is showing up, helping us navigate through every trial, every challenge, and every moment of grief.

And that, my friend, is the GREAT joy: knowing that, no matter how overwhelming the pain feels, His presence is unwavering, He remains faithful, guiding us through every stop, every trial, every heartache, every obstacle and every moment of uncertainty…He is there with us every step of the way on our journey toward healing.