1982) Through my almost four decades of teaching, some of my young scholars have attempted to cheat on tests. I say some because I’m sure I didn’t catch every time this happened.  

My students are sometimes anxious when testing time comes. They fear the results of the test, confirming to some they are falling short. They can also transpose this thought to mean they are falling short on everything.  

Many people react the same way when life throws out these sorts of things. In fact, there are many places in the Bible which reveal God sometimes uses similar things on us. Because this is often true, there may be a tendency to paint all tests with the same anxious brush when testing also provides something else.  

1 Peter 1:7 tells us the genuineness of our faith can be tested; not to show us where we fall short, but to encourage us. The test my young scholars take can build them up because they show what they have learned and how much they have grown.  

Tests can be a valuable thing. They don’t have to be dreaded.