Well throughout the nation we are already a week, or a bit more, into the school year and the old routines are already beginning to echo when I hear kids talk about school - to much homework, to many tests, to much to do, etc. I am sure I said the same things when I was their age and when I was in their position. As an adult it is easy to say - "Oh that is not a big deal, you should have to work 12 months a year, or pay bills, or ....". However, that is like a retiree telling me that I need to slow down, well I know that but at the moment it just ain't possible. You have to finish the stage of life you are in before you can move into the next one. The life of an adult is more complex, and more difficult, then the one of a school aged child, but that does not mean that the root lives of the two are really that different.
We all live lives full of work and filled with tests, the difference is the nature of the work and the nature of the tests. Many times we can forget to consider the current state / stage of the person being tested and become extremely uncaring as we casually toss their problem aside because it is not a big issue to us. A pebble in your life maybe a boulder in the life of another, and vis vera. That is a lesson in itself and I will not chase that one today, maybe in the future. Today, I want to talk about the quizzes that arise in all our lives and how we handle them.
The noun definition of the word quiz is - an examination consisting of a few short questions. Based on that then our lives are full of quizzes regardless of age. The question is how are we going to responded to the test or exam. In school there are always those that are ready to be quizzed, and those that sit daily in fear of today being the day that they are tested. In adulthood we continue this same pattern - there are those that are ready for the quiz, no matter the time because they stay prepared, and those that are never prepared because they are too worried about being tested that they do not prepare.
I would never say that the Bible is wrong, because it is always right, but I do think many times we misread it in our human nature. When we come to Christ we are a new creation, we have new goals, we have a new way of living, we get a new purpose and we receive a bright future. All of that is true, but I think that many times we as humans begin to think there will be other changes as well. Those do not always occur.
When someone comes to Christ the manner they live (work ethic, attention to detail vs lack there of, and consistency) does not always change. The lost person that worked hard will generally be the Christian that works hard, and the lost person that takes the quick route will generally be the Christian that does that as well. Our nature, our goals and our habits may change, but our personalities do not. So, Christians that are prepared for testing are typically the ones that prepare for other things in their normal life too, and ones that fear testing are the ones that fear a test or challenge in other areas of their lives.
As a Christian we are all called to be able to defend and explain our faith at any time. Yet, most Christians live in fear of being ask about their faith, their church, or their walk, and those are all things about them personally. Those issues do not even require someone to talk about issues of faith or have Bible wisdom. Most of the time, people like to talk about themselves and their lives, so the fear that many Christians show regarding their personal faith is almost unnatural when you think about it. If the question has to do with overall faith, a Bible point or challenge, or even a complex human problem with a clear Biblical answer or solution they fear the test so much they will literally flee the area many times to avoid being tested.
None of us like pain or suffer, and if the test will be painful it is human nature to want to avoid it, but all tests are not painful. Many times tests are just ways to show how far we have come, and are a means to challenge us to continue our process of growth. Taking a test and passing with flying colors is not painful, it is encouraging. It is failing the test that is painful and the failed test can many times be a sign of our true nature and reflection of our true relationship with God. It exposes our lack of depth and relationship and that exposure is what we fear. It is the fear of the good student being exposed as a cheat or the quiet student that hides being noticed that drives our fear.
Many times, we are afraid of the test because we are not prepared for it. To add to the problem, there are times we do not prepare because we are afraid of the test. It is a vicious cycle and one the drives us to a place of isolation from God. We are afraid to approach God because our nature, or shame, when exposed only drives us further away. Yet, God does not feel the same about us. He wants to welcome us back, He wants to restore and strengthen us, not chaise and devour us. It is our fear of failure and being honestly viewed that isolates us, not His nature.
God yearns for us to be one with Him. He knows our nature and knows that we do not always prepare well enough for the quizzes that we face. Yet, He is also there to carry us and help us through the quizzes we are not ready for. We do not need to live our lives fearing the quizzes, we need to live our lives seeing the quizzes as opportunities to be good witnesses. We need to see them as opportunities to further His kingdom. We need to see them as opportunities to be His hands and feet. It is all about His will and our trust of Him, not about our nature and our fears. God knows our fears, He knows our nature, and He knows His strengths. The quizzes we face are short and small when compared with the struggles of eternity and all of humanity, God can and will handle them.
Have a great day and be strong and courageous against the quizzes that face you today, this week, and in the future.
