I was thinking about the trials we go through in life. There’s a similarity to the tests we take in school. But what are tests? Well, tests are really proving grounds. It’s an attempt to see where you stand on what you’ve learned.
I remember taking tests in school. And whether it was in grade school, high school, or college, I always found myself in a last minute cram session to learn what I should’ve learned in weeks prior. That was my tendency to procrastinate being displayed. I didn’t really take advantage of the knowledge the teacher had been freely giving me in the weeks leading up to the exam. The reality was, that I had trouble paying attention in class. My mind would wander into other areas I thought were more interesting. I guess I just thought, “I have plenty of time to learn this stuff.” So, I didn’t really absorb, understand and learn the material leading up to the test, which usually produces the best results. My learning was a lot of last minute ‘cram it into my brain’ type of studying. ‘Cramming’ seem to be a good description, since a lot of the knowledge seemed to fall out afterwards. The retention wasn’t quite what it should be. It’s kind of like stuffing a bunch of clothes into your luggage without folding it first. A lot of it wants to fall back out.
Do you remember the TV announcements where they would test the ‘Emergency Broadcast System’? They always say, “This is only a test”. That probably wasn’t much comfort to all of us who remember taking tests in school. You probably thought, “A test? But I didn’t even study.” Then you realize that by ‘test’, they mean that it’s not the real thing. Oh, I guess that’s comforting. Why did they have to say ‘test’, though. Why not say, “This is only a quiz.” Then I wouldn’t get all bent out of shape. The word ‘test’ just gives me flashbacks.
The interesting thing about tests is that they aren’t the learning process itself, they’re just a measure to see what you have learned. The time to learn was leading up to the test, and not the previous night. I guess I didn’t respect the learning process.
Tests don’t really end once we’re out of school, though, do they? It seems we have them for the rest of our lives. Just in less formal ways. That’s how we grow up and mature into adults. We learn from our past failures and mistakes. Then we apply that knowledge when we run into the same, or similar situation in the future. Sometimes we keep taking the same test until we get the right answer. So, what other kinds of tests are there?
The length of time, dosage, and makeup of the prescription for cialis steroid are known to be the key towards managing your stress effectively and achieving optimum health. This is said so because the medicine takes time to develop and time to repair and heal. cheap online viagra buy viagra from canada You can gain bigger erection to satisfy her and there is absolutely nothing wrong in it. Factors that related to ED include: High incidence diseases: cialis tadalafil canada Heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity, arteriosclerosis amongst others. The Bible talks about trials and tests quite a lot. There were many times when God tested His people, or allowed them to go through trials in their lives. I think of Abraham. He was asked by God to sacrifice his son on the altar. That would have to be the most trying experience someone could go through. He passed, though. And, in the end, God told him not to harm his son. It was just a test to see his level of faith and commitment to God.
In AV James 1:2 it says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” Here, James talks about the trials and temptations we face in life. The funny thing is, he says to ‘count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations.’ That’s not usually our first thought. Remember me talking about taking tests in school? It would be kind of similar to me being excited about that. But that’s not what he means here. He’s not really saying I should be excited about the trial, but the results it brings about. Our faith being tried brings about patience. The word ‘patience’ here really means endurance. We become stronger when our faith is tried. This is the result we are to be joyful about. God is trying to bring us to a more perfect state. These trials are sometimes just His refining process.
In AV Job 23:10, it says, “But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.” Even though Job was going through an epic trial, he had confidence that God knew what He was doing and would bring him to a more refined state. This verse also describes that ‘he knoweth the way that I take’. What does that mean? Well, it just means that God knows what trials bring about the best results for each of us individually. Job is saying, “He knows the way I’m going to respond.”
AV Romans 5:3 says, “And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” This takes the patience brought about by trials even further. The exciting thing is, when we trust God in these trials, we see Him intervene on our behalf. And when we see His intervention in these circumstances, we see that He is faithful. This gives us a set of experiences that we can draw from. In the midst of a trial, we can look back and say, “God delivered me in that trial, and I know He’ll do it again.” This is what gives us hope. We are not disappointed in having this hope, knowing God’s love is in our hearts.
AV James 1:2 it says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
AV Job 23:10, it says, “But he knoweth the way that I take: [when] he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
AV Romans 5:3 says, “And not only [so], but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.”