It’s testing week here on the hill! My oldest grandson and granddaughter have been here with me to take their end-of-year standardized tests. Remember those forms with all the little dots to be filled in with Number Two pencils? Testing is a big deal1 because it helps my son and daughter-in-law assess their children’s educational progress and plan for next year.
The two students bore the burden of testing like champions. They both knew the process would last only a couple of days, and when they were finished, the whole summer stretched before them, carefree.
As I read the instructions and monitored their progress, I couldn’t help thinking about some of the tests I’ve been taking in God’s sanctification school:
Medicine that is supposed to help, but instead makes me sick.
People who feel entitled to take without appreciation.
Interruptions to my plans and intrusions to my schedule.
The perversity of inanimate objects.
I’m well aware that my life is a cakewalk compared to many of my readers’. I’m also convinced that God assigns to each of us our measure of testing. He even tells us why:
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness” (James 1:3).
My grandkids are being tested on their knowledge of math and reading with a goal in mind. Their parents want to verify that they have learned a body of material.
God, our divine Parent, is looking for steadfastness, a word that is also translated as endurance or patience, traits I admire but do not possess in abundance. (Anyone else in the same camp?)
In the Parable of the Sower, Jesus provides an example of a negative response to testing. The sower’s seed is the Word of God and the four soils are the hearts of those who hear. “And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy. But these have no root; they believe for a while, and in time of testing fall away. ” (Luke 8:13)
Falling away in a time of testing would be the polar opposite of steadfastness, endurance, and patience. I find that the “little” tests that pile up in the run of an ordinary day can sometimes hook a more extreme impatience in me than the “bigger” tests that come.
Sitting this week with the mechanics of testing at my dining room table has schooled me in the truth of God’s purposeful action in the molding and refinement of his children. We are his workmanship, a project that will continue for as long as we draw breath on this good earth.
How would your response to inconvenience, disappointment, or suffering change if you started to view it as God’s sandpaper?
Do you consider that the sanctification process is worth the pain of testing?
I hope you’ll share your thoughts in the comments!
Testing is God’s purposeful action in the molding and refinement of his children. We are his workmanship, a project that will continue for as long as we draw breath on this good earth.
Tweet
Holding You in the Light,
Now on the Bible App!
Grief comes to everyone sooner or later, and whether it’s the death of a loved one or the loss of some cherished aspect of our life or identity, God’s Word is crucial for grieving well. Past hurts have a habit of snagging our hearts in unexpected moments, but God provides abundant grace to help the believer move through grief without getting stuck and without wasting the opportunity to walk more closely with the Lord who lightens our darkness.
As you know, I’m committed to the truth that women can become confident followers of God and students of his Word, and it’s my goal to help you along that path. At Living Our Days, I provide biblical content and resources to encourage biblical literacy and faithful living, and now I’m sharing devotional content on the YouVersion app. Visit my profile page to get free access to all the reading plans!
Have You Read the Latest Newsletter?
On the third Wednesday of every month, I send a newsletter with biblical encouragement straight to my subscribers’ email inboxes. Frequently, I share free resources, and the newsletter is where all the news lands first.
CLICK HERE to find me on Substack, where my goal is to help you on the path of becoming a confident follower of God and a student of His Word.
Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate, which means that whenever you purchase a book I’ve shared here through the link I provide, I’ll receive a very small commission. It doesn’t cost you more, and I only share books here that I can wholeheartedly recommend.
- I have to insert here the important detail that we make it just as fun as we can with tea party lunches and pushes on the swing and walks up Windy Hill and plenty of brain breaks. ↩︎
Photo by Smithsonian on Unsplash
Living Our Days 
Thank you, Michele, for the reminder (for me a necessary rebuke) that I need to focus on the truth that testing is God’s sandpaper working to refine me. I need so much refining!! My patience and endurance is so lacking!
LikeLike
I’m learning that if it were not for testing, I would imagine all kinds of positive things about myself that are not true. We discovered the true temperature of our hearts when we’re tested!
LikeLike
Without testing there cannot be breakthrough
LikeLike
Well said! And we all need breakthrough!
LikeLike
I’d love to know which inanimate objects.
Did you know I’m forced by my family to go whitewater rafting for 6 days and 5 nights starting Friday? We fly to Idaho Thursday and it’s snowing. Definite sandpaper. I will not have to cook. The only redeeming thing.
LikeLike
Oh thank heavens that you don’t have to cook. I just hope you survive. Hang on tight!
LikeLike
I am quite sure your grands are receiving the equally stellar education that your boys did. I know homeschooling isn’t for everyone and not even possible for many, but I will never regret the 61/2 years I homeschooled one of my grandsons. The bullying he was experiencing in the 6th grade could not be stopped by the school staff because the boy doing the hitting and punching was autistic. That moment was quite testing and the only solution seemed undoable. And then, we did it, never looking back with a single regret. So, yes, the worst moment can often turn out to be the best beginning of something better. We step out in faith.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Grandmothers who homeschool should receive Purple Hearts, gold medals, and a seat next to the dessert table at the heavenly feast.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I vote for that! LOL
LikeLiked by 1 person
“Do you consider that the sanctification process is worth the pain of testing?” Yes, only once the pain is passed 🙂 There have been times that I have been known to say, “I would go through it all over again for what it produced.” However during the process, yeah, crying and maybe even some grumbling. Wonderful and wise post!
LikeLike
Oh, me, too, Joanne! We wouldn’t want to miss the sweetness of the dependency that testing fosters, but it’s a painful process in the moment.
LikeLike
“God, our divine Parent, is looking for steadfastness, a word that is also translated as endurance or patience, traits I admire but do not possess in abundance. (Anyone else in the same camp?)” ummm Yes!
It helps when I think of the why I might not know.
If I wasn’t doing this, I could be somewhere else not being needed.
If we’d been two seconds later getting out of the grocery store and going through the intersection at the green light instead of the slow start and then sudden brakes in the intersection at seeing that crazy driver come plowing straight for us through his red light. He would have broadsided us instead of causing us to slam on the brakes and feel our car shudder at the sudden stop, and literally shake from the rush of the guy’s car passing in front of us. Like knowing we were 2 seconds from not being here anymore. Thank the Lord for that delay!
Yeah, that kind of stuff gives you pause.
LikeLike
What a great point! Yes, we have much to be grateful for, and a lot of it we don’t even see. God is always doing ten thousand things and we might be aware of a handful.
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are so right, Michele: “The “little” tests that pile up in the run of an ordinary day can sometimes hook a more extreme impatience in me than the “bigger” tests that come.” SO true for me also! And yes, “the sanctification process IS worth the pain of testing.” I need to remember that sandpaper imagery. Thank you for that effective perspective-adjuster!
LikeLike
It’s so good to be reminded that even though we’d rather not go through the testing, we can be grateful for the end result. I think that’s why God has given us fellow believers as we cheer one another on in the race of faith.
LikeLike
I have a lot more problems with the little everyday trials and irritations, too. My husband was for many years the lab manager at a textile company. Their testing–for tensile strength, colorfastness, etc.–was to show where problems were so they’d know what they needed to work on improving. God knows where we need improving, of course, but we often don’t until we’re tested in some way. And then we see flashes of temper or impatience or selfishness and are surprised. And, to be honest, discouraged that those things still lurk there after so many years as a Christian. But I am trying to look at those revelations as good things–they show me how much I need the Lord every day, how much I need to continue on in His Word and walk with intention rather than coasting. I’m thankful He patiently continues to refine us.
I’m sorry your medicine is making you sick. 😦 Do they have any alternatives, or do they think your body will get used to it after a while?
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s so true that if it weren’t for the tests, we’d never realize how much we need to grow.
I’m hopeful that my body will get used to it. The dosage keeps having to increase, and with every increase, it’s a new adjustment. Thank you for asking. I am frequently tempted to discouragement, but am grateful for good medical care.
LikeLiked by 2 people
I am in the same camp as you when it comes to patience, Michele. Thinking of inconvenience, disappointment or suffering as God’s sandpaper is a good reframe for me. I would prefer to think I’m fine as I am, but God sees the true picture–as I am AND as I could be. Over the last year, I’ve struggled with some things I thought I had overcome long ago. Different circumstances bring out new opportunities for growth, apparently. It’s comforting to remember that “God’s …. action in the molding and refinement of his children” is purposeful.
LikeLike
Oh, for sure! I want to think I’m fine and that all the irritants and disturbances in the universe are caused by all the “other” people who don’t think or function as I do. We’re so good at fooling ourselves!
LikeLike