Tests...

Patrick comes in from the living room, asking if I would quiz him on his German. He has a test tomorrow. He hands me his flash cards and I start to ask the questions... He did fine... but he gave answers with an unsure tone. He definitely wasn't confident that he knew the answers. He sat down and studied for a bit....a short while later ... we tried the quiz again... and with much more confidence... he answered the questions correctly. The first quiz I gave made Patrick uncomfortable.... he was unsure of himself. He was sad that he wasn’t ready, and sadder that he had to go back and study harder. My intent was certainly not to hurt his feelings, but to reveal the weak areas of his study so he could tighten the gaps and be ready for the real test.Just as I tested my son, God tests me. He often puts me in uncomfortable positions to uncover weak areas. God doesn’t point out my weakness to take advantage of me. Instead, His testing is to reveal areas that need work, so I will be strong enough to persevere and eventually succeed in what He’s called me to do. God uses all kinds of life situations to test us. Testing can take the form of difficult people in our lives, times of waiting, or a challenge to step outside our comfort zone to be obedient. Will we avoid the situation? Will we suffer through it and quit because it’s too hard? Or will we persevere and overcome?We might think God gets frustrated with us when we “fail” a test. I sometimes wonder if God wants to give up on me when I repeat the same mistakes. But just because my son didn’t know the answers on our mini-quiz didn’t mean I would give up on him. Just the opposite! I wanted him to succeed and was willing to give him test after test to make sure he was ready.God’s testing can be to prepare us for something more important, and often more difficult. He wants to see if we can sustain the pressure in preparation for something big. So, the next time your Heavenly Father calls you up for a pop-quiz, consider His desire to see you succeed. If a weakness is revealed, thank Him for helping you move to the next level by strengthening you.
Precious Lord, thank You for caring enough about my character and life to test me. Help me to see Your testing as a sign of Your love, and to be thankful for it. I pray for strength through Your Holy Spirit to walk in obedience and persevere. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.


Show and Share time..........

Remember my drawstring Pumpkin candle bags? Well... this one is a drawstring Santa candle Bag.

Christmas Stocking I knitted for a very dear friend. :)

Kasey's Spiderman Blanket is DONE! Just waiting to hear from my friend to see how she wants to handle me mailing it. I'm really happy I was able to get this done in among my other projects!

This is a square I created the other night. I altered my circle square to make it more feminine.
have a wonderful evening..................

Hugs...

Love...

Blessings,

.::Tam::.

**“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James 1:2-3**