Top of the Class

Life is testing sometimes. It can almost get to the point where it feels like, well, a test. To be honest the culture we live in today, the western world, has created this mind set. It has even created a plan for you. You go to school, get good grades, work hard, and everything will work out. This might work for some but for the rest of us we know that this isn't the recipe for success.

I didn't do so well in school. I did just enough to get by because I had to. I had to get an education because if I didn't I was told I wouldn't be able to get a job anywhere. Everything I did was graded. Now that I'm working full time I find it interesting how when we make a mistake we hear about it, but when we are doing it right we are just expected to do so. 

I adapted how I was tested by the world to how God tests me. I struggled with that consept because I came across This verse in James.

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”
‭‭James‬ ‭1:13-15‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I get from this that God didn't intend life to be a test, because if it was, we would all fail. So I started to think what that would look like and an interesting metaphor popped into my head. It goes like this:

What if life is like school. When we walk into our class knowing there is going to be a big test. You tried to study but have come to the conclusion that what ever mark you get, you get. You try to be confident and show that you're not worried about the results on the outside, but you are a bit nervous knowing that this is an important test. You sit down and your teacher comes over to you. 

Your teacher comes over to you and  says "someone already wrote your test, put your name on it and handed it in. All you have to do is accept their test over your own. You can deny this and choose to write it yourself but then your are marked according to your test. Also the person who to wrote your test scored 100%. What will you do. Accept it? Or choose to write it yourself? I have to remind you any grade below 100% is a fail. So what do you choose?"

It seems like a pretty obvious answer. Accept the test. Take the 100%. Some of you who would have scored really well on your own. After a while you might struggle knowing you didn't earn it. It was given to you. We don't like feeling like a charity. Nobody does. We might even resent the person who wrote the test. Pride starts to consume us and we might return to the teacher and recant our choice and choose to write it ourself. 

On the other hand some of you who hate tests and probably would have scored low, would be thrilled to accept the 100% score. You might even want to get to know who wrote it for you and maybe learn from them; grow in relationship with them. You might tell others who he is and what he did for you. 

“Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:41-42‬ ‭NIV‬‬

So regardless of how good you would score, none of us could score 100%. So let's all grow in relationship with the one who did. And tell others he'd do the same for them if they let him.