The world's standard

"it is a testing"

Ezekiel 21:13

My daughter is taking a practice SAT test on Saturday.  And not surprisingly, she's not all that thrilled by the prospect.  I mean, four hours of test-taking, even with breaks, is hard.  And tiring.  And boring.

Even though we homeschool, she has taken standardized tests before.  And she's always done very well.  She's smart, and she works hard, and that is a pretty good combination.

But even so, I hate that she has to take it.  Usually when I "force" my kids to do something they don't want to do, like a particular class or subject, or an unpleasant task, I explain why.  I tell them what this experience is going to do for them; about how this or that muscle (or their brain!) is going to benefit - "you're going to learn/ be better/ be stronger for having done this thing."

And I know the same thing is true of the SAT.  Everything God brings to our lives makes us stronger.  But I also know that my child is going to be judged on the basis of this test.  That's what I dislike about it.  I don't believe in One Size Fits All.  Or even, as some clothing tags now say, "One Size Fits Most".

I mean, it's an okay guideline for clothes, but not for basing conclusions about a person or their abilities, ya know?

I know colleges need some way to compare apples to apples.  And I know they look at more than SAT scores.  And I'm not worried at all about her performance on tests, practice or otherwise.  But I'm reminded once again of how thankful I am for how well God knows me.  That He knows my heart, my good intentions and my ulterior motives.  And He comes to no conclusions that are not 100% accurate.  Because He's God.  And all He ever wants is for me to walk in obedience to Him, and be the best me I can be.

And yes, sometimes we have to toe the line in this world ~ march to the beat of the same drummer that everyone else is, simply to get along.  But He will never judge us by any other standard than His.  And His is the only test that matters.

~ "without faith it is impossible to please Him,

for he who comes to God must believe that He is,

and that He rewards

 those who diligently seek Him." ~

Hebrews 11:6

~