Counting it all joy

We arrived at our new house/pet sitting place last night to some pillows that were torn up by the dogs here and the fragments left all over the bed, along with all beds needing to be made (after we spent all day cleaning and making beds at the other place), and dinner still had to be made, and then as I went to vacuum up the mess I accidently hit a button that released all the dirt in the vacuuum cleaner everywhere - so we started right away putting the sermon we heard at our church Saturday night into practice - count it all joy!!  It really does help when we obey God's word!  Like this morning when I arrived at work for my first day of a real job in over 5 years!  I was a little nervous but also excited, and I had a garage door opener to get me in since the boss is away. I arrived right on time, but the garage door opener didn't work.  So I thanked God and rejoiced and didn't stress about it and drove to our camper at the Perrella's where there was a key.  As I was getting back to the place to use the key my cell phone rang and it was my boss letting me know the code for the alarm system!!  Had the garage door opener worked I would have set off alarms all over the place!  Whew!!  I feel like this has been a life-long lesson God has been trying to teach me forever.  Consider it pure joy when you face trials of many kinds (big, little, whatever!), knowing that the testing of your faith develops perserverance, and perserverance must finish its work so you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything (I did that by memory and I think I may have jumbled a few different versions together, but it is the same idea out of James 1).  Paul said he had learned the secret of being content in any and every situation in Philippians 4.   I have argued that concept in my mind reasoning that God wouldn't want us to be less than authentic.  But I'm learning that it is not fakiness that is being espoused - it is choice.  Choosing to believe something that we can't see.  Having faith that God can use all things to work together for our good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose as he promises in Romans 8:28.  It sounds so simple as I write it out here, but in that moment when everything in me wants to whine and complain it can seem impossible!  The good news is that His mercies are new every morning, so tomorrow I'm sure I'll have more opportunities to count it all joy!  :-)