One of the recurring dreams that I have had throughout my life is one that I suspect many others have had. I sit myself down in a classroom, only to be presented with a test that I neither expected nor prepared for. Typically, part of the dream is the understanding that this test will also have a major influence on the final grade. In a manner that only dreams can do, for a moment I am enveloped in this alternate reality that is making me feel exposed, embarrassed, and useless, with hope only returning when I awaken to the reality of this life.
In the reality of this life, all of us have and will continue to face a multitude of tests, and not simply the ones put before us in a classroom. And if we’re being honest, most of us will confess that we don’t really like tests, because tests do have this way of revealing weaknesses that we might not want to have revealed – either to ourselves or to others. We have equated testing with the potential for failure, and while that certainly exists as one of the possible outcomes of a test, even a failed test result isn’t horrible if it prompts us to learn from our errors and figure out how to improve our performance.
Yet where I see the testing in life as being most valuable is how it can reduce our anxiety levels with whatever tests we will face in the future. Once you have endured the loss of a job and the corresponding financial hardship, you know that you could do it again if you had to. If you have survived being home alone in a severe thunderstorm, you have that personal experience that can reassure you should another storm arise. If you have been a passenger on an airplane that flew through severe turbulence, you have reason to remain calm the next time a flight gets bumpy. Those tests help to give us faith that we can get through the challenges of life.
If you are reading this today, it means that you have survived every test that you have faced so far in life. That isn’t the same thing as saying that you passed every test, but your failure wasn’t fatal for you. And every test revealed something about you and your character, places where you needed to make improvements, and places where you should find confidence and strength. All of those experiences – the tests that you passed with flying colors, the tests that you barely squeaked through, and the tests that you failed spectacularly – have equipped you for the tests that are to come, including the grand finale.
That final test will be a declaration of where your faith ultimately came from in this life. At that point you won’t have to say a word or write down a single answer, because your life itself will provide your response. Your life will reveal whether the ultimate source of your performance on Earth was because you trusted in yourself or in God. Much like my dreams, this is that test that comes without notice, for tomorrow is promised to no one. But it is also not a surprise test, and you only get to take it once. The most consequential test that you will ever face is pass or fail.
My prayer is that you will look back on all of the tests of your life and see the hand of the Lord working to sustain you, whether you were constantly stumbling or surpassing. It was his strength that brought you to this point, and his strength alone that can get you through the final door. He’s given you this time to study and learn the truth, so make the most of the opportunity and be prepared, because you might face that final test soon.
Peace and blessings – Pastor Aaron