What we had here was a failure to communicate

"she came to test"

1 Kings 10:1

So my girl took the practice SAT test today, and it was just as we expected.  Four hours of hard work and brain exercising, alleviated only by ten minutes of boredom if she finished ahead of the allotted time before the next portion. 

But there was something that was slightly unexpected and seemed a little ridiculous for my daughter - the rule that you couldn't have your phone in the testing room with you.  I know; it seems logical to most of us.  We understand that they are being cautious, and that cheaters are clever and sneaky. 

But this is a girl who has grown up in the era of cellphones.  We waited for quite a long time to give our children cellphones ~ after all, they are with me almost 24/7 ~ but since getting their phones, they have rarely been without them.  Fortunately, they don't use them all that much, but they are used to having them in their pockets.  And she certainly knows not to use it, or even turn it off in circumstances when she's told to.  So the rule seemed overly cautious to her.

I was reading a book the other day, and the author ~ a pastor ~ talked about the many times he has heard people say how cool they think it would be to have lived when Jesus lived.  The idea of walking and talking with Jesus; to hear His voice, to know how tall he was, what it felt like to have His hand touch your shoulder, or cup you under the chin...

But then the author pointed out that if those people lived now, they'd probably ask us what it's like to have the Holy Spirit in us, and to be able to pray directly to the Father without having to go through a priest, and make a sacrifice. 

We get used to being able to communicate.  And if that ability is taken away, we can feel frustrated... stymied... helpless, or even frightened.  But even though that's true, we still don't take advantage of the privilege we have, to be able to access Him in prayer whenever we want. 

Just imagine if that ability were taken away from you.  Sobering thought, isn't it? 

He's with you always.  Are you with Him?

~ "Seek the Lord while He may be found, 

Call upon Him while He is near" ~

Isaiah 55:6

~

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

~

Testing... testing...

"after these things"

Genesis 22:1

One of the most famous men in the Bible is Abraham.  And one of the most famous stories about Abraham is in Genesis 22, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac to Him.  It's a story of the great faith of Abraham, but it also illustrates Isaac's faith, and most importantly, it foreshadows Christ's sacrifice for us.

But today I just want to highlight one important detail of this chapter ~ make no mistake, there are many important details, but today I'm inspired by verse 1.  Nothing like a good beginning, right?

Verse 1 says, "It came to pass after these things, that God chose to test Abraham."  It simply means, that after everything that had come before, God decided it was time.   When Amazing Boy was young, he told me he never wanted to go to school, and when I asked him why, he said, "because they give you tests."  So I said, "but sweetie, they don't give you the test until they teach you what you need to know.  They don't test you on stuff you're not ready for."

And so it is with God.  Abraham was ready for this test.  He'd had his failures.  In chapter 12 and again in chapter 20 he had lied about Sarah being his wife, not trusting God to protect them both.  But here, when God commanded the incomprehensible, Abraham promptly obeyed.

God doesn't test us to find out what we will do.  He already knows.  Psalm 26 tells us that we are to pray, "Examine me, O Lord, and test me.  Try my mind and my heart."  God tests us to show us what we will do.   To show us if we have weaknesses.  And to show us where we're strong.  Have you ever heard the expression, "he doesn't know his own strength" ?  After this test, Abraham knew his strength ~ the strength of his faith.  And after your test, you will know yours.

~ "O Lord of hosts, You test the righteous,

And see the mind and heart." ~

Jeremiah 20:12