This is a day for encouragement. I start off with this verse from James 1:12. It suggests that we can triumph over our trials: Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.
Triumph
I appreciate this verse, and perhaps you can too. Consider the first part: “one who perseveres under trial”. A trial is a hardship or test. It is something we all go through. Some times are worse than others. There are many kinds of trials. If one is going through persecution because of their faith, it can be especially hard. it helps to have a brother or sister in Christ, praying for you, and simply standing by you. Even if you are not aware of a specific person in this role, you can know that somewhere in the world, God has encouraged someone to pray for you.
So maybe it is not a trial of faith. In the US, the people behind ‘woke’ culture try to impose name calling — such as ‘racist’, or ‘white supremacist’ simply because a person is conservative. The reality is that the name caller is clearly more intolerant than the person being called out. I choose to ignore it, and recognize it for what it is- an attempt to goad me into a response, and improve their social media response.
For situations like this, we should never respond as a victim. A victim wants to put up a defense. A person with confidence who knows themself does not need to give a response. I think of all those bullies I have known growing up. They wanted to make themselves feel good by dominating, If they are unable to dominate, they simply turn their attention elsewhere. I can see that persevering , even in this name-calling situation, results in a reward of seeing them fail. For the long term, the idea of perseverance resulting in a crown is worth striving for.
Perseverance
Perseverance is a significant word in this passage. Oxford language usage for perseverance has decreased a lot since the early 1800’s. I suspect that life was physically and mentally harder in those former days. We do not hear the word perseverance used as much today, but there is still a need for us to push through, and complete things that are difficult. It is likely that the sense of being rewarded with a “crown of life” is not usually something we think about as a result of the current press through the trial that we are in.
The Crown
Why should a crown of life be useful to consider in our present trial, and what exactly does that mean?
The Old and New Testament refer to crowns 71 times in the NIV (47 in the Old Testament, 24 in the New Testament). In the New Testament, 4 of the references refer to Jesus’ crown of thorns. The remainder refer to crowns of victors and those in charge. When we get to Revelation, some verses refer to dragons with multiple heads and crowns –a metaphorical picture we can save for a different discussion.
In 1 Corinthians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, 2 Timothy (2;5; 4:8), Hebrews (2:7; 2:9), James, and I Peter the crown references are spoken of as a reward. Lets acknowledge that the option of receiving a reward for something provides motivation for just about everything. 
Whether we are young or old, if we can earn something for completing a task, it makes the task more bearable, and enables us to get through it, since we are able to focus on the goal rather than the tediousness of the process.
A goal focus for Christ is my chief aim in life. The idea of getting a crown when I go to heaven is nice– but I have to admit it still sounds nebulous and unclear. In heaven, will I have a corporeal body that wears a crown? At some point theology says I will have a resurrection body. In heaven, I do not really care about the physical stuff any more. There are just too many other cool things that God has in store for us.
In the chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis, the 4 children known as the ‘sons of Adam’ are crowed kings and queens of Narnia. It is a perspective that gives us the example that we, as humans, are not ‘noble’ by birth, but rather, we achieve something special by getting through doing the difficult, and by that we have earned honor. It is only one perspective to help us understand what the crown of life is all about. God is ready to honor us and reward us, for bearing pain and trials during which we give glory to God. I have to admit – giving glory to God in all things is worthwhile, even if I get no reward. He is worthy to be praised, no matter what.
