Meeting Jesus: A New Way to See the Hard Stuff

Hi friends, I was reading James 1 the other day, and something hit me in a new way. You know that verse — "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds"? I’ve read it so many times, and usually, I get stuck on the "count it all joy" part. Like — really, joy? In trials?

But this time, one word grabbed me: meet.

It doesn’t say, "when you go through trials" or "when trials come at you." It says, "when you meet trials." And that made me pause.

That word "meet" sounds personal. Like an encounter. Like you’re coming face-to-face with something or someone — not just dealing with it from a distance or brushing past it. And it got me thinking:

What if our trials are actually places where we meet Jesus?

I don’t just mean in a vague, spiritual sense. I mean really meet Him — right in the middle of the hard, annoying, stressful, or even heartbreaking stuff.

What if trials are divine appointments?

Not just obstacles to get over, but sacred intersections where God is already waiting for us.

Waiting to deepen our faith.

Waiting to show us more of who He is.

Waiting to grow something in us that comfort never could.

I don’t know about you, but most of the time, I don’t treat trials that way. I treat them like interruptions. Like, "Ugh, not this again." Or I try to avoid them, distract myself, push through quickly, or complain while I’m in them.

But what if those are the very places Jesus is trying to draw near?

Not to punish us.

Not to test us in some cruel way.

But to be with us. To strengthen us.

It’s like He’s standing there in the trial saying, will you meet Me here?

I started thinking about the little daily trials too — not just the big life-altering ones.

A short temper with my spouse.

Feeling invisible at work.

A child melting down when I’m already at my limit.

An unexpected bill.

A delay, a rude comment, a plan that falls through.

All those moments are little crossroads. I can avoid them or just push through — or I can lean in. Ask God, what are You saying here? How do You want to shape me in this?

Maybe the trial isn’t the problem.

Maybe it’s the place where transformation begins.

James goes on to say that the testing of our faith produces steadfastness — and that steadfastness brings maturity. That means these encounters aren’t pointless. They’re productive. They build something in us.

But we miss it when we rush past the trial or wish it away.

This whole thought has just been challenging me lately. I’ve been asking, what if I started viewing trials — small or huge — as sacred spaces? Not hurdles to jump, but meeting places with Jesus?

What if the trial isn’t where He left me, but where He’s already waiting?

Anyway, I just wanted to share that. I’m still sitting with it, and honestly, it’s changing how I respond to the hard stuff. Doesn’t mean I love the trials — but I’m learning not to waste them.

Praying for you, brothers and sisters. That whatever trial you’re facing today, you’d meet Jesus right in the middle of it.

He’s closer than you think.