It was tougher than I thought…

I can remember taking a test for which I actually had studied very intently. I had great enthusiasm, was well prepared and had plenty of rest. I thought for sure I would ace this exam. But much to my dismay, I faired worst than most in the class. I was devastated. I was confused. I was confused because sometimes as Christians we believe that if we finally do the right things, our situations in life will always turn out in our favor. However, throughout my experiences of living for the Lord, I have discovered that this clearly is not the case. There are some exams that are just tougher than you thought. It is not that you have sinned the night before; or that God is punishing you for something you did a week ago and did not confess. It is simply that the test was hard, and you barely passed. I was however able to realize that my studying did count for something. I didn’t fail the test; it was just tougher than I thought. Sometimes life can be tougher than you think. Hence, my word of encouragement to you is not to put the blame on yourself, but perhaps to just recognize that this one got the best of you. We all would be greater if we’d learn to grow from our mistakes rather than shrink in shame. Try to remember, that there are as many voices calling us up higher, as there are temptations ebbing us lower. The difference in our choice, is realizing that the mistakes we have made in life are not worth a step backward, but are every bit worth our stepping forward. Keeping the right perspective on events will help us be confident in this fact, that some things are just tougher than we thought!