I have had a lot of joy in my life. Whether I rejoiced or not is another matter. The oxymoron of James is the purpose of the trials. The worst trial for me is betrayal because I value loyalty. There are challenges in this life to the ninth power!
The purpose of the trials in James 1:3 is what the testing of our faith produces. What does it produce? Patience is the target virtue. God does care but allows the crazy world to keep spinning in a crazy fashion. The devil isn’t winning. God always wins. It just may not feel that way. Endurance means I keep living and I still believe. Verse 4 in that text says I will be lacking nothing. Maturity is finishing with Jesus. Adversity is not the absence of God. The pillars may fall but will I be faithful? Verse 5 addresses what to do when my foundation seems to fail. Verse 12? Check your joy meter?