Preparing For The Tests

We often refer to this life as a time of testing. But I often feel like we treat these “tests” as nasty shocks, or pop quizzes for which we had no time to prepare and little hope of passing. But that’s not how tests generally work. In an educational environment, a test is usually administered after the lessons have been given and an appropriate amount of time has been given to practice and prepare for the test. Unless the teacher is particularly malicious, tests aren’t really given out as a form of punishment or intimidation or subjugation, although for those who have squandered the time and learning opportunities the test can sort of feel like a punishment. But a test’s purpose isn’t to call you out for not paying attention or applying yourself. It’s not about establishing your worth through some ranked grading system. It’s not even about showing the teacher how much you learned. What the test is really for is to prove to ourselves how much we know. If we paid attention in class and did the homework and made an honest effort to learn the material, then the test is proof that we’re smarter and more capable than we were before we began the class. If we are earnestly and sincerely seeking to live a righteous life, to learn from our failures and do our best to make the small and large tragedies we face meaningful and worth going through, then when a new test comes along, we will be able to prove to our Father in Heaven, but more importantly, to prove to ourselves that we are smart and wise and strong and capable enough to pass the test. Abraham didn’t climb Mount Moriah with his son Isaac to prove to God that he was faithful and obedient, but rather he climbed that mountain to prove to himself that in his own small way he possessed the same capacity to sacrifice his beloved son as his Heavenly Father did. If we keep getting walloped seemingly out of the blue by pop quiz after pop quiz, then we may need to examine how we are spending our time, and to determine in what ways we might face our next tests less unprepared. I’m not saying that if you just go to church every Sunday and stay on top of your ministering assignments each month that you’ll magically be one hundred percent prepared to face tests like receiving a cancer diagnosis, or losing your whole family in a plane crash. But if we can have the humility to learn from the little tests, to do the small and simple things day after day, then when the really big tests come along, we may surprise ourselves at how resilient and strong and capable we are to face the tests head on, and come out the other side proving to the world and proving more importantly to ourselves that we are children of God and day by day we grow in favor and grace and power to overcome all of the tests that come our way.