Play Your Cards
Testing makes for authenticity. For example: you can claim that you are an expert in a class in school, but your testing will prove what you say. Fail the test, and you're obviously not very good in that class! In our walk with Christ, we're certainly going to face testing from time to time. With testing, comes the fear of failure. Fear of looking stupid, fear of being wrong, being theologically off base, etc. Consider the analogy of a poker game. You're the player. "The Test" is also playing. God is the dealer. God wants you to win. You know this. You know he has a plan for you. You know he wants great things to happen in your life. And he deals you a pair of 2's. "The Test" bets big. You're scared. Should you fold. Should you call? Should you raise? If God wants me to win, why do I have a pair of 2's? In life, you don't always get dealt a royal flush. You do, however, get dealt the hand you need at that point of your life. It's up to you to act on your faith that God has given you everything you need. Play your cards, bet big, no matter the odds. Through testing, against all odds, your authenticity begins to take shape. The people around you see the Gospel in action. They see your motives are pure and selfless. You gain the approval of God, something far superior to the approval of your peers. Think of a time when you may have folded the hand you were dealt? How would bet differently? What can you use from that experience to restore your faith to bet big in the future? Spend some time with God today, asking him to help you in this are of your walk.
