This is the second of 13 sessions looking at selected passages from the Book of James. Click here to read the introduction and for an overview. 

Session Two

I ran across an intriguing quote the other day, one attributed to Gen. Douglas MacArthur, the World War II military leader: "Age wrinkles the body. Quitting wrinkles the soul."

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The thought that followed, naturally, was that "consider it pure joy" passage from James 1. Surely you know the one; it talks about facing trials of many kinds and how the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Then, there's that next line, James 1:4: Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

So what does it mean, really, to be "not lacking anything?" What does it mean to be "complete?" Ask the teens you know, and some might say it means having everything you want; they may believe it's the result of just hanging in there long enough to see whatever it is come to pass.

Whose who have been around a while—those who already have encountered trials and tribulations—may understand it on a deeper level. They may know "not lacking anything" means our lives will include the spectrum of good and bad and that we can't completely be the people of love, joy and peace He desires for us to be without walking through them. Outside of time and space, God already sees us as "perfect;" we just need to catch up to His vantage point.

This brings us back to those wrinkles. In our youth-obsessed culture, wrinkles are the very image of imperfection, aren't they? With Botox and lasers, teens have no reason to think they'll ever have to look "old," but wrinkles on the soul are not so easy to cover up. Quitting—throwing in the towel, no matter what the challenge—doesn't just mean we shortchange ourselves a victory. It means we deny God a chance to prove himself faithful in our lives.

What the Word Says: