Monday, October 18, 2021
Patience gets tested. Endurance gets tested. Good moods get tested. Plans get tested. Beliefs get tested. Health gets tested. Life is full of trials and challenges which seem to push you off your center of gravity. If your center of gravity is conceptual – like having low self-esteem, negative beliefs, co-dependence, or addictions, then look out, the examiner is coming! Trials and tests have a singular purpose. They are meant to expose you to your own fears and negative beliefs about yourself. Fear gets tested, especially. The universe seems to delight in exposing us to what we fear – fear of being alone, fear of death, a health “scare,” etc. All of these so-called tests are designed to teach you that life is ephemeral, unpredictable, short, and that you aren’t always in control of the external.
Life’s “tests” are reminders of what you do have control over – your reaction to it all. So if life is putting you through a test, step back and do a self-test instead – an inner exam. Reexamine your own reaction to what you’re going through. If the trial is difficult, you might crumble, or feel defeated. Or you can be up for the challenge. Let the test teach you how to be determined to be happy, no matter what. The test of your life is an “open book” exam. The answers are internal and they always come, even if it means changing your beliefs, your location, your situation, or your attitude. But the main thing to remember is to be flexible, adaptable, and open to learning. Learning to be happy comes through challenge, and there’s absolutely nothing to be afraid of. Having that kind of faith in yourself makes life’s tests so much easier to take. But when it’s time to take another test, don’t get testy, open yourself up to what there is to learn, and you’ll get a better “grade” each and every time the examiner arrives.