What Test Are You Taking?

Standing in line, people make polite conversation to pass the time. I remember nervously awaiting entrance into the testing center after Grad School and people would ask that question, "So what test are you taking?" If you found someone taking the same test as you, it brought comfort. "They get it! They feel my pain!"

I was reminded of that day as I read James 1:2-3 this morning.

"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow."

I began to ask myself what my faith test is in right now. Where is God allowing me to be stretched and pressed in order to grow me? As I pondered this question, I was aware of noise. Worship music in the background, the traffic outside, a bubbling toilet that needs repair, the ding on my phone announcing that it is my turn for WWF. All these things calling my attention...all pulling me away from the quiet.

Remember that story about Elijah in 1 Kings 19...the one about the voice of God? Elijah was at his wit's end and had traveled 40 days and 40 nights without food to get to the mountain of God, Mount Sinai. The Lord asked him why he was there. Elijah poured out his heart before his God.

“Go out and stand before me on the mountain,” the Lord told him. And as Elijah stood there, the Lord passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, "What are you doing here, Elijah?" 1 Kings 19:11-13

We travel great distances to conferences, listen to messages online, have stimulating discussions with amazing fellow scholars...yet what about the gentle whisper?

So what test am I taking? Yep, you guessed it...I'm taking the sound test. Time to shut out the distractions, to go the distance and to wait out the wind and persevere through the quake and to face the fire trusting in the whisper that is sure to come. God speaks. He speaks in the softest of whispers and in the gentlest of tones and in the love song of the Bridegroom.

As I pursue God with great joy, endurance will come. In Luke, it says that by standing firm you will gain life. And if my standing firm points to Jesus, my strength and my Deliverer, than that is true gain and I will have passed the test with flying colors.

So, what test are you taking?

The Feast that Satisfies

Yesterday was one of those days where I was just weary...the kinda weary that you feel deep in your bones. The kind where you have tears stuck behind your eyes that threaten to come but never appear. The kind that calls for time spent on the couch recharging. It had been weeks of being on the go, and I had just come off a 2 day conference with limited sleep. Relief was in sight with only one more day to push through, but the weakness was settling in and all I could think of was a feast. Ice cream was on my mind...mint meltaway to be exact. Why is it that in our time of exhaustion the body craves sugar in the form of a food that can be connected with emotional comfort as well? Succumbing to the craving will result in temporary satisfaction, but the end result inevitably will be sleeplessly spent yawning on the couch surfing Facebook and passing the early morning hours with Rick Steves touring Oslo on PBS. Sigh.

Rewind 15 hours...in the moment of craving...was there another desire for a feast, perhaps one more subtle but equally compelling? Yes, it was the one calling me to feast my eyes, my heart, and my spirit on the new book I'd bought...the book about the stunning beauty of the Lord God and His view of us as His bride. What kind of emotional release might this choice have offered and would the result be different? Less guilt...more peace? Fewer calories...more zzzzs?

The challenge is in the moment of decision. It's about choosing to feast on that which brings soul satisfaction and ministers to the root of the heart condition. It's about making the snap decision that brings life...as well as restful sleep.

Buddy System

Imagine a sunny day at the zoo...one of those days that isn't too hot but just warm enough for every mom to bring her kids to enjoy the community of animals on a day like today. Look at the parking lot, filled with bright yellow school busses filled with excited children ready for a day of exploration. When each of those busses pull up, children pour out, full of nervous chatter. They know an adventure is before them, and they are free from their parents' watch...able to explore at whim. As the children begin moving through the open spaces towards the chosen exhibit, notice that they have fallen into a pattern similar to the ancestors of the animals they are anxious to observe. "The animals they came off, they came off by twosies twosies." It's not just animal nature to pair up, but it's obviously human nature, too. We call this the "buddy system" where each child has a partner to walk with, talk with, and keep track of. It has a purpose when on a field trip, but it also speaks to the power of two in all walks of life.

Looking through the Bible, we see many famous "buddies":

Adam and Eve

David and Jonathan

Paul and Barnabas

Priscilla and Aquilla

Jesus and John

Mary and Martha

Why pairs? Why did people come in pairs, travel in pairs, and teach in pairs? Were they ever alone?