What do you do when the going gets tough? You might say, the tough get going, I survive alone. But when we face trials, we naturally vent frustration on those around us. James sees something bubbling beneath the surface of the early church: complaints and grumbling. When pressed from outside by opponents and waiting for a Lord who seems slow to come, tempers fray, we close our hearts from others, and relationships fall apart.

But James offers something radically different. As Christ’s people, we are to be patient and to establish our hearts because “the coming of the Lord is at hand.” That hope is what brings us together and reminds us that we aren’t meant to go at it alone. We’re meant to endure together, sustained by the nearness of Christ’s return. Perhaps misery does love company.