So when you think or see the word TEST what comes to your mind? For me, it is flashbacks to my school days full of high anxiety and stress. I was a shy, overweight child and suffered from low self esteem. But at an early age I realized that I just might have some smarts in my brain. So I piled all my worth into school and grades. All through my school days, I drove my family crazy, especially on nights before a test. I made them quiz me, I poured over my notes, memorizing every detail, every fact. Yes, all of it paid off and I got the marks I wanted but with it came a stomach ulcer when I was 16 years old. Tests were not my friend and I shiver when I think of taking a test today.
I am currently taking Stress Management as one of my Life Coaching classes. I am learning a lot about what stress does to the body and ways to manage it. The instructor made a statement this past week that has stuck in my head and is the thought behind this blog post, “there is no testimony without a test.” As you have discovered my feelings about tests, I have mulled over in my brain the tests I have taken not in the school classroom but in the classroom of life. Life tests that have pushed me beyond where I thought I could go.
Let me name some of my tests: growing up with a special needs aunt; being overweight and insecure; losing my father; coping with being a special needs parent; Brad’s work accident; Brad’s lung surgery; Bryson’s Type 1 Diabetes diagnosis. These have been some of the BIG tests in my life. There have been a lot of smaller tests too.
As I think about these tests, I shiver about some of them too. I didn’t like these tests! The difference with these tests then the tests at school, (except for the pop quizzes) I didn’t have time to study and prepare, they just happened many without warning. So what am I to do with these tests? I am learning that these tests are what have shaped me into who I am today, they have become my testimony. I am realizing that just as each of the tests that we had to take in school were to measure progress, each of my life tests have been to measure my faith in God, my love for family and my values. These tests have given me my purpose, my passion and a voice to encourage and help others.
Tests can be hard and they can be life changing, I encourage you to reflect on the tests that you have experienced in your life and see how God can use them and your testimony for His glory. If you would like some accountability in discovering the purpose and plan God has for you, contact me at lisa@lisajplett.com.