Past The Test

Today I came to continue previous conversations we’ve had. Specifically the Sometimes it’s wait & the gifts of failure conversations. If you haven't seen those videos, sometimes it’s wait was a conversation about how God answers all our prayers and sometimes we are so impatient that we don’t know the difference between a no and a wait from God. The gifts of failure was a conversation about how failure and reflecting on where you have failed gives you gifts. Those gifts are lessons that you can learn from to improve going forward. Today’s conversation will be about how with the combination of using the lessons you’ve learned from your failures and surrendering to God’s timing, you can get through the tough times you are facing in life. 

Understanding the Difference Between Lessons and Tests in Difficult Times

In the gifts of failure conversation, I mentioned something briefly that I want to expand on today. It’s the idea that the lesson comes before the test. Oftentimes when we are going through a tough time or a storm, we feel like we are being tested, but that’s not always true, that what you feel is a test could be meant to be a lesson sent to prepare you for something that you will be tested on in the future. The way you know the difference between a lesson and a test is if it is something you have experienced before.

Distinguishing Between Lessons and Tests: Understanding Experience and Preparation

The definition of a test is the procedure intended to establish the quality, performance, reliability, or knowledge of something. If we break that definition down, it's saying that you cannot be tested on something you haven’t experienced before. When you take a test in school, you are always tested on information that have given to you prior to the test.The importance of knowing the difference between if what you are going through right now is a lesson or a test is that if you are going through something that you have experienced before, you can look back at how you handled it and also look back on how God got you through it the first time. 

Personal Testimony: Strengthening Faith and Resilience Through Life's Challenges

I’m a real life example of this because I am currently being tested. Specifically what is being tested right now is my faith in God and also how I respond to challenges that come up in my day. Last year, I talked a lot about the storm I went through and my experiences with financial scarcity, juggling business, and something always going on with my car. I’ve seen how God has brought it full circle where I am currently experiencing all of the things that kept me down last year. The thing that is different now is that I am responding differently to the challenges and I have learned to surrender to God’s plan for me. This has given me calmness amidst chaos. Prime example is that the last two months were very successful months in business for me, but this month I only had 1 deal close and my car broke down on me twice. 

Embracing Hardship: Trusting God's Timing and Distinguishing Lessons from Tests

With learning from my first experience of hardship and trusting that God will provide what is best for me, whether it's with answering my prayer right now, or for it to be for me to wait, I can successfully pass the test. It’s something that you can do too. Take time to reflect on what you are going through right now and discern whether it's a lesson or a test. If it’s something you have experienced before, it’s a test. Then take time to listen to God talking you through it. See where he showed up for you last time you went through this and trust that he will answer your prayers in his timing. This too shall pass

Pass The Test

Wise Wednesday