Little did she know how the course of her life would change when the sun peeked over the horizon that day over 35 years ago. A car accident demolished not only a vehicle but the entire future this young gymnastic teacher had planned. 

Hospitalized for months, her bed became a place of soul searching and crying out to God in her suffering and pain. She did not pray to the saints to intercede for her as she had learned to do as a child. Instead, she cried out to God, turned to His Word, and encountered Christ, the source of true joy. 

James admonishes believers in chapter one to “count it all joy when you meet trials of various kinds.” I cannot help but wonder what trials James, half-brother to Christ, referred to as he penned these words. Notice that he used the word “when” not “if” as he wrote about facing trials. Trials are inevitable, but James reminds believers that they are occasions for joy. The J.B. Phillips translation says this: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends!” 

If anyone had reason to wallow in self-pity or depression, from a purely human perspective, our paraplegic neighbor had earned that right. Yet, after knowing her well during twenty years in Portugal, I can say she is one of the most joy-filled believers I have ever met. 

Her circumstances lend credibility to her words when she tells others about her faith. She continues to invest her life in serving Jesus by teaching the Portuguese language and culture to global workers who move there to serve Him. A born teacher, her home and her life are the classrooms where others cannot help but learn the source of true joy.