Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds. —James 1:2 (ESV)
I was in first grade when my teacher pointed to my finger and said, “Look at that! You’ve got a writer’s bump.” At the time, I didn’t understand that the bump on the tip of my finger was a callus. I thought it had miraculously appeared to show the world I was going to be a writer.
I remember going home and proudly holding my hand up to my mom’s face. “See! I’m a writer.” And from then on, whenever someone asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, I’d answer, “I’m a writer,” and show them the bump to prove it.
It isn’t lost on me that a weakness in my hand, a small spot on my finger that grew thick to heal itself under pressure, played such a significant role in my life by guiding me to a career that I love. But sometimes when there’s a deadline at work, a blank page that can’t seem to get filled, a bit of criticism that I take too much to heart, I can get frustrated and become filled with doubt. Is this really what I’m supposed to be doing?
And then I need only to feel my finger and remember all the other bumps in life—job changes, money worries, family concerns—that at the time seemed too difficult to manage but, in fact, have prepared me for, and guided me on, this amazing life journey.
Dear Lord, help me to remember that challenges are simply a stepping-stone to joy.
