"Blessed is a man who perseveres under trial; for once he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him" (James 1:12).
There are four words in this verse that need a little bit of amplification: "Blessed" is often translated as "happy". This is, however, much deeper than just happy--it's a deep fulfillment. The next word is "persevere". It means to endure with hope. It is to put up with hardship believing that a better day is coming. The third word is "approved" and it means to be found genuine through testing. The purity of gold is often tested by exposing it to sulphuric acid. If it's pure--it remains. If the gold is mixed with other metals then there will be a reaction. If it doesn't react--then it is approved as pure gold. The final word 'crown" is simply the prize that is given to an athlete following a contest. For us, it's a trophy or a medal--the declaration of 1st place.
Now read the verse again with the fuller understanding of these words. Here's how I would do it: "Deeply blessed and fulfilled is the person who has gone through hell believing that heaven was just around the corner. Their ability to suffer without the expected reaction of complaint, anger or bitterness, means that they really have been transformed by Jesus. They will receive the trophy--the ability to really live--which Jesus has promised to those who keep on loving Him." Here's a simpler shot at it: "Those who really live have found fulfillment in Jesus--even with all of their problems".
Today, when you face the mountain of some kind of problem--start climbing--the view is beautiful from the top!
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