Do You Identify As A Test?

What was your favorite kind of test in school?  Was it multiple-choice, true or false, or essay? Please tell me it was not fill in the blank without a word bank.  Those are evil.  There are a billion different words in the world and I need to come up with the one word that the teacher has decided best fills in this blank.  I know.  None of us loved tests, but did you have a favorite type.  Mention it in the comments and tell me why it was your favorite.  

I am going somewhere with this.  I am not trying to stress out those of you with test anxiety.  Do you know what test really stresses me out?  Those personality tests!  This is the only time when I struggle with overthinking.  They ask impossible questions like this.  If you were hanging from a small limb on the side of a cliff would you hang on until you lose all your strength and your hand slips off or would you just let go and fall to your death?  Someone took those tests, made them into a game, and called it "Would You Rather".  I remember one of those personality tests told you what kind of animal you are.  I was an otter because I like to play.  

Anyway, these two things made me think about how we handle our identities.  Let me explain.  If I am not careful, I can be a multiple-choice identity.  I can be whatever you want me to be.  You just tell me A, B, or C and I will be that.  Some people, when you try to get to know who they are, you find out they are an essay question test.  Their answer is just full of fluff.  There is no substance to who they are and they really don't know who they are.  I lived in that world for a long time.  Other people are like the fill-in-the-blank tests.  They let other people determine who they are by filling in the blank for them.  

Which of these tests is the best one?  None of them.  The best test for your identity is a good ole True or False test.  Find your true identity and get rid of the false identities.  If you want to know your true identity you have to go to the one who created you.  You can read more about that in the post titled What Is My Purpose to get you started.  

Make sure to comment on what is your favorite type of test.  Also, if you can relate to one of the test types let me know in the comments as well.  Make sure you subscribe so you don't miss out on future posts.  

"Faith Not Fear".

My church has been in a sermon series on Nehemiah.  One of the phrases that keeps coming up is "faith not fear."  This, along with other things in my life, has caused me to really start thinking through what is faith? 

I know it is not blindly moving through something hoping for the best.  I know it is not believing that things are just going to be okay.  In fact, it is not a thing at all.  Faith is believing in a person.  We put our faith in people all the time.  When we are driving a car we have faith that the driver of the car coming in the other lane is going to stay in that lane and not hit us.  The question is not what is faith, but who is your faith in?

When you put your faith in Jesus, you are saying that no matter what happens, I know Jesus loves me.  He cares about me and wants the best for me.  Faith is believing that inspite of the circumstances, God's character is good.  When the circumstances were bad for Nehemiah, he did not call the people to believe more, pray more, or hope that everything turns out.  He called the people to remember.

Nehemiah 4:14 After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, “Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.”

Whatever you are facing, whatever news story you are reading, whatever is happening around you "Don't be afraid . . . Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome."

What is a time you remember God showing His goodness to you that you can think on when circumstances are tough?

Thank you for sharing, commenting, and liking.  Don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss new posts.