Can We Learn From Legos?
There are approximately ten Lego pieces sold for every person on earth – more than 75 billion little plastic bricks. I had no idea how many Lego pieces there are in the world! The Lego Group is building a 1.7 million-square-foot production site in Chesterfield, Virginia. There will be 1,761 people working in this plant.
If it hadn’t been for Danish toymaker Ole Kirk Christiansen, there wouldn’t be any Legos to snap together. His workshop, located in Billund, Denmark, was destroyed twice by fire. He endured bankruptcy and a world war that caused a shortage of materials. By the 1940s he landed on the idea of self-locking plastic bricks, and at his death in 1958, Legos were on the verge of becoming a household word.
James’ letter doesn’t address a specific church, but the “twelve tribes scattered among the nations.” (v. 1) James often calls believers in Jesus “brothers and sisters.” In early Christianity, this language expanded to include all believers, including Gentiles. (Romans 12:10)
Life can often be difficult, and persevering the challenges of life can be daunting. When trouble hits us, we need God’s strength to persevere. James wrote, “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial” (James 1:12). Sometimes our trials are in our relationships and sometimes in our job and many times in our health. The trials are often temptations that slow us down in our goal of honoring God who promises wisdom for such times (v. 5). When we go through bad times, God wants us to let Him provide what we need (v. 6). God wants to help us persevere by honoring Him with our lives, for it is in honoring God that we find true blessings.
Prayer – Jesus, we know about many circumstances you persevered through. May your example be our guide as we face the trials of life. Amen.
James 1:12 – “Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial.”
By the Rev. Tommy Herndon
Images: Xavi Cabrera, Kelly Sikkema & Caleb Angel, courtesy of Unsplash