How Bad Can Be Good (James 1:1-8)

Someone cut me off again as traffic ground to a halt. I could feel myself seething inside. As I sat at a standstill, I began to wonder why I was so angry. My smartphone showed that this was only going to be a 4 minute delay. And why would I let a guy I don't even know (who cut me off) have so much rental space in my head? It had been a long day. Several discouraging things had happened and my heart was heavy.

At that moment, I cried out to God. I simply said, "God, I'm tired of feeling badly." As I reflected on my day, I realized that I had jammed it full of "stuff" that I felt had to get done. What I didn't allow was space for God. Whether it was to read from His Word, set aside a moment to pray or simply allow space to be quiet. All of that got crowded out. The world and its worry squeezed through the crack in my day and was wreaking havoc on my soul.

This week we begin a new series in the book of James. I love how practical James is on handling things like worry, anxiety and trouble in life. As I worked through my grumpiness, I realized that, though I could not control my feelings, I could control my thoughts and what I allowed to feed my thoughts. Good thinking can help shape feelings and set us on the right path of walking alongside Jesus moment by moment.