The Testing Room

We’ve all been there. There’s usually a table… Our first ones may of come as a taste test. Spitting out cereal, spinach or something so new to our young pallet we wanted to go back to the comfort of milk. By age 2 we may have opened our pallet to chicken nuggets and could stay there the rest of our adolescence if…we weren’t tested or challenged by our parents or siblings to try something new. The ‘Hey Mikey! He likes it.’ Life cereal commercial wouldn’t of been so popular. School and peers brings more testing. Ask any early grader what’s a test? If spelling doesn’t come up, Ask again.

We all are tested. Why? Well, because if Susie doesn’t learn to spell, she’s not going to be able to put phrases together and write a paragraph and explain what she’s thinking on paper to others. And make good grades and get a good job and … I believe the words that say ‘You are tested for your own good’ are true.

As we grow, we are tested with driving, boundaries and character. Parents watching the beaches in FL for spring break are thinking teens have lost all senses. Sometimes tests are to reveal character, stamina or allegiance as in joining forces or making alliances. My heart goes out to those students who are not getting to walk across the stage for all the testing they’ve come through. Sometimes we find ourselves in the test of time or test of a lifetime. Its in those tests, we do find our true selves. If we belong to Jesus, We will be tested. Jesus was tested in the desert for 40 days and nights. That is hard stuff. True Grit. Yet, he did it and I’m glad he purposely did.

What if we turned the tables and gave the test? Solomon of the Bible tested everything in search for wisdom. He set out to be wise, but it was beyond him and so deep! Sometimes finding wisdom lies in the pursuit.

When we think about testing as a nation we have hit the bullseye with the Covid 19 Virus scare. I use that word ‘scare’ as that’s what’s trying to infest our nation. Its not grasshoppers, but it could be as everything is jumping off our shelves. We are being tested by a scare to what we have known by a virus jumping from animal to human to human. What is our response? How is this test affecting our hearts, minds, life?

I can’t answer that for you. I can’t answer anything for you. I can help you understand that people are doing their best work right now in isolating measures. Families are having more time together around tables, things are being modeled and learned. Workers are doing their best in all fields when they can, while they can. We are getting to choose good measures because we are being obedient from the tests we trialed or others have. Our response remains; to show gratitude, love, and compassion to a world gone viral. That’s our testing room if we choose to go in. I think the door is open.