我們一行四人，在美麗的紐約州沃特金斯峽谷州立公園徒步健行。有時，我們會一起凝視那壯麗的瀑布和約60公尺高的懸崖，發出讚嘆。有時，我們會因攀登濕滑的岩石和看似無止盡的台階，不得不停下來喘口氣，舒緩疼痛的雙腿。當我們接近頂點時，一位下山的山友說：「你們再走10步，就走完了832級的台階！」還好我們開始的時候並不知道這段旅程有多艱辛，不然我們可能會打退堂鼓，錯失了所有的美景。

人生旅途中也會碰到重重難關。耶穌和使徒保羅都警告信徒會遭遇苦難和迫害（約翰福音16章33節；提摩太後書3章12節），你我需要用不同的視角看待面臨的苦難。雅各書1章2節說：「你們遭遇各種試煉的時候，都要看為喜樂」（新譯本）。為何要看為喜樂而不是痛苦呢？因為不單上帝知道，我們也知道「信心經過考驗，就生忍耐」（3節）。結果會怎麼樣呢？這能使我們「成全完備，毫無缺欠」（4節）。

儘管在苦難中會感到痛苦，但我們若願意停下腳步、留心察看，也許會看見上帝正在你我和周圍的人身上，培育出美好的品格。我們將體會到這寶貴的真理：有一天，你我「必得生命的冠冕，這是主應許給那些愛祂之人的」（12節）。讓我們一起繼續攀爬人生的旅程吧！

Four of us hiked through the beautiful Watkins Glen Gorge in New York. At times we stood together in awe as we gazed in wonder at waterfalls and two-hundred-foot cliffs. Other times, we had to stop to catch our breath and rest our hurting legs as we climbed wet rocks and endless steps. When we neared the top, a hiker heading back down said, “You’ve got only 10 steps to go of your 832.” Maybe it was best we hadn’t known how difficult the journey would be because we might have stayed back and missed the beauty of it all.

The journey of life has difficult steps too. Jesus and Paul warned believers about trouble and persecution (John 16:33; 2 Timothy 3:12), and this requires some perspective. James said, “Consider it pure joy . . . whenever you face trials of many kinds” (James 1:2). Why pure joy instead of pure agony? God knows and we “know that the testing of [our] faith produces perseverance” (v. 3). But to what end? So that we may be “mature and complete, not lacking anything” (v. 4).

If we’ll stop and look, despite the pain, we may see the beautiful strength of character God is producing in us and those around us. And we’ll learn to appreciate the truth that one day we’ll “receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him” (v. 12). Let’s keep climbing together.