Persevering One Day at a Time

How a Misread Verse Changed Everything I Thought About Hard Times

By Jen Allee

I didn’t grow up using an iron. I either wore wrinkle-free clothing or just didn’t care. I never operated one until college--the day my roommate was in a wedding. That morning she asked if I would iron her dress. Sure, I thought. How hard could it be? She handed me a bright green, taffeta gown and said, “Make sure you iron it on cool.”

That was my first mistake.

I didn’t clarify her instructions. Being too embarrassed to admit my lack of experience, I assumed she meant for me to iron it to look cool. Odd, I thought. Were there ways to iron something to make it not look cool? Nonetheless, I turned the iron on and set the dress on the board.

As I placed the (hot) iron on the skirt, it immediately caught on the fabric. Instinctively, I pulled up the iron and along with it came the skirt that had been suddenly, and permanently, melted to the iron’s plate. I peeled the dress off, leaving a gaping hole (the size of an iron) on the front of the skirt.

Clarifying can make a big difference. If we miss the mark from the beginning, we might miss out on a lot!

When We Misread the Verse, We Miss the Promise

There’s a Bible passage that is often misunderstood and, as a result, leaves us missing its great worth. “Consider it pure joy whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (Jas. 1:2-4).

At first glance, verse 2 can read like we should be joyful about our trials. This must be for the super spiritual, for those who look hardship in the eye and say, “Praise Jesus!”

I have three words for that: No. Thank. You. I will never be super spiritual, and I hate trials.