Life is Only a Test

There were times in my life when I would ask myself, “What is the purpose of life with all the trials and problems that come along in its course?”

Author Richard Carlson, Ph.D. in his book, “Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff… and it’s all small stuff,” writes: “One of my favorite posters says, ‘Life is a test. It is only a test. Had this been a real life, you would have been instructed where to go and what to do. Whenever I think of this humorous bit of wisdom, it reminds me not take my life so seriously.

“When you look at life and its many challenges as a test, or series of tests, you begin to see each issue you face as an opportunity to grow, a chance to roll with the punches. Whether you’re being bombarded with problems, responsibilities, even insurmountable hurdles, when you look at it as a test, you always have a chance to succeed, in the sense of rising above that which is challenging you. If, on the other hand, you see each new issue you face as a serious battle that must be won in order to survive, you’re probably in for a very rocky journey. The only time you’re likely to be happy is when everything is working out just right. And we all know how often that happens.”

Like the case of a friend whose heart bled of the way a relative treated her. She said, “I was helpless with her verbal tirade. She was so ferocious and fiery. There were issues that she raised that I could not even understand. She forgot how I helped her when she was down and out. I just lifted her up to the Lord to enlighten her. And I also pray to God that He would give me the grace to forgive her. But I am so deeply wounded.”

There are instances in our life wherein we have to ‘roll with the punches’. Negative thoughts and emotions overwhelm our inner being. Carlson said, “Perhaps you have a difficult teenager or a demanding boss. See if you can redefine the issue you face from being a ‘problem’ to being a test. Rather than struggling with your issue, see if there is something you can learn from it. Ask yourself, ‘Why is this issue in my life? What would it mean and what would be involved to rise above it? Could I possibly look at this issue any differently? Can I see it as a test of some kind?’”

All these various struggles in life could be just a test, and it is up to us how to respond to it. Like the case of a mother whose husband was a womanizer. He would sometimes not come home for weeks. Her being prayerful and religious and her steadfast in her trust in the Lord did not make her dismayed or discouraged of her situation. She felt that it was all God’s test of her perseverance. She stood strongly in her ground as a good mother and wife. Her three children have finished college and her family remains intact.

Keep your head up. As the saying goes, “God gives His hardest battles to His strongest soldiers.”