Life Is a Test
This is a test. This is only a test. I'm sure
you've heard that expression before. I was reading the new bestseller Don't
Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson and one of the chapters is called Life
is Only a Test. My experiences with taking tests have not always been ones I've
enjoyed or found to be relaxing, but I agree with the idea. Life is a test.
Just like many of the other tests that confront us daily. Life is meant to
teach us something. Life has a purpose, and we would be wise to spend our life
preparing for it. Luckily for us God has not let us down, for Jesus himself has
not only given us the answers we need, He's even offered to take our final exam
for us.
Jesus himself was tested from His forty day journey
in the wilderness to his journey to the cross, and unlike us, he proved
faithful in every test he went through. In everything He did he upheld God's
laws and he lived his life for others rather than himself.
Few of us could say the same. We may be able to
claim victories in some of the tests, we've taken, but we also have to admit to
many failures. If God graded on a curve or would take only our top five days we
might stand a chance, but the test is our whole life and our only hope of
passing is Jesus. Jesus is the answer.
I know there are many who believe differently. For
some life is a contest and they live to beat out their opponents. Some believe
life is only a game, and they live to enjoy the ride. Still others believe
there is no purpose to life and they live however they want. But God is the one
who ultimately decides and we would be wise to be prepared just in case he's
right.
In that test used by the radio stations they always
ended by saying, "had this been an actual emergency you would have been
instructed where to turn for further instructions." The only problem is
that we knew it was just a test. We never found out what to do in a real
emergency. There are many people facing real emergencies in their lives
everyday. May we listen to the one who lived his life to help us out. May we
seek his advice and follow his example, so that He can help us pass the test
and discover our reward.