Well that title just about sums up my life over the past 6 years….it’s been one test after another followed by a weird season of confusion, disappointment, followed by another round of tests, etc. And yes that was a run on sentence but it was only symbolic of my life these past few years. It felt like a life without punctuation, correct grammar or a clear directive contained within the nouns, pronouns, verbs and adjectives. My life just felt like a string of jumbled up words with no real rhyme or reason. I was headed nowhere and pretty darn fast, or so it seemed. I lost count of how many times I broke down, cried myself to sleep, threw my hands up in the air and tried to quit. The strange thing was that I didn’t really even realize that I was being tested. I honestly thought I was some kind of victim trapped in a horrible situation that I would never escape. But honestly, God was just trying to use my circumstances to test me and teach me some valuable lessons. I thought I’d share a few tips for those of you being tested right now- whether you realize it or not.
Tip #1 – God doesn’t test without first teaching the material.
Being the good, wise and all knowing teacher He is, do we really think He would be cruel enough to test us on something He hasn’t taught us? Think about it…..can you imagine yourself in school again (for those of us who are “mature”) and getting a pop quiz on your first day of school from your teacher?? A test before the material had been covered?? I’ve had seasons in my life that God poured so much truth and beauty into my life only to be followed by an intense season of testing. The trick to getting through a difficult season like that is to remember what God taught you BEFORE the testing started, that will help bring clarity to the situation.
Tip# 2- Whatever you do, don’t stop seeking after God.
That gets tricky and sticky for sure. I’m convinced there are 2 types of people-those who run to God when things get difficult and those who run away from God when they are tested. Obviously running from God short circuits our ability to receive life, strength and the grace we need to get through the test victoriously. However, for many of us our stubborn independent nature eagerly jumps at the chance to handle the situation on our own. This of course perpetuates the cycle of the testing until we finally get to a place of complete surrender
Tip #3- Give up
Yeah, I said give up. Be a quitter. Stop trying to be God and fix your situation and just surrender. It wasn’t until Joseph completely surrendered in the prison he had been in for probably over a decade that God finally moved him out. When he finally stopped trying to get a “hand up” from others and stopped trying to market himself as a dream interpreter that God finally removed his shackles and the scales from Pharoah’s eyes.
Seasons of testing are difficult for sure but they don’t have to be pointless and frustrating. The point of those seasons are growth and development of character. My song “Providence” that I have posted below is a beautiful reminder of how these seasons can profoundly change our lives forever.
