Tag: John Maxwell

Do you know how to pass the test? Inherent in that question exists what might be a problem for some. The problem is that a test will surely come. This is not an “if” or “maybe” situation. Life tests us in many ways. Often, and I speak from personal experience, we don’t realize the test is taking place until we’ve already failed it.

I remember going through financial hell some years ago. Every day seemed to be worse than the one before it. I was battling feelings of depression and worthlessness on an almost daily basis. I had creditors calling regularly and I had no answers or money to give them. I had properties in foreclosure and stood on the brink of bankruptcy. Eventually, I was pushed over the brink. I was evicted. I wound up decimated, disheartened and despondent.

At one point, in the middle of these 18 difficult months, I remember praying and saying to God, “Please make sure I learn whatever I’m supposed to learn in this period. I know you love me and this isn’t the end but I want to learn the lesson now so that I never have to take this test again.” In school, if you fail too many tests, you fail the class. And if you fail the class you must repeat the class and the tests that come with it. Vernon Law said, “Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterward.”

How do you study for a test that you didn’t know was coming? How can you prepare for the tests that you must pass in order to fulfill your purpose in life? Is it possible to ever truly be ready, as the Apostle Paul wrote, “in season and out of season?” What measures need to be put in place to make sure that you don’t keep retaking the same test year after year? Has your patience been tested repeatedly? Maybe you haven’t passed that test. Has your family, organization, business plan, or vision fallen apart time and time again? Maybe you haven’t passed an important test necessary to advance to the next level.

Are you trained or untrained? Are you prepared to pass almost any test that comes your way?

TEST TRAINING

Is it possible to train for a test that you may not know is coming? Yes and no. There will always be things that catch us by surprise. However, even in those instances we should fall back on our training. What routines do you have in place that keep you focused so that intrusions don’t completely disrupt your life? Do you set reminders for lesser important things so that your mind is free to be devoted to more grueling tasks? Training also involves making sure that you are prepared when someone needs the purpose within you. I read my Bible everyday. Additionally, I’m usually reading one to three books at any given time. I consistently prepare behind the scenes so that I can perform whenever I’m called to the stage. What is your stage? Do you only study when your name is called or are you studying not knowing when it will be called?

TEST TAKING

When the test comes in your life, whether it’s on your job, in your relationships, or in pursuit of your purpose, you have no choice but to take the test. When you get fired, you better have a plan in place of what to do next. When a relationship is suddenly taken from you it behooves you to know who you are so that you know how to move on. There are hindrances that we will experience when we are devoted to pursuing our purpose. The Apostle Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12). We should all understand that the test is not meant to break us but it is intended to make us. A Chinese proverb says, “The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”

TEST TRIUMPH

Each test allows us to see how much we’ve grown since the last test. They say whatever doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” How can we know what victory feels like if we never experience defeat? Every setback allows us to better prepare for our next level of success. Your purpose begins as an idea but the process it takes to become a reality will be the result of the tests you take and triumph over.