James was convinced that Jesus was coming back very soon. Even though 2,000 years later, He still hasn't returned, James wasn't wrong. For all of us, the time from now until we see Him will be over in the blink of an eye.

So than why can't we just fast forward through all the hard stuff? What's the point of suffering when it will all be over soon anyway? A lot of us might be tempted to shortcut past the tough stuff, but when we do that, we actually end up declaring our independence from God. We even miss out on the joy that's found in our suffering, not just on the other side.