Final Exam

Final Exam.

Wow, just hearing the word exam brings anxiety and stress. Even more stress comes when I realize that I have my final exams next week! The end of the semester for a college student is probably one of the most stressful parts of the school year. At any given moment you can find college students crying over study guides, sleeping in coffee shops, and consuming more chocolate than the average person does in a year (oh maybe just me). But exams really can make or break your semester grade, and every student knows it.

The only thing worse than the actual exam, is trying to prepare for it. What should we study, who should we study with (we always have those friends who may not be the best person to keep us on track). We need to look over the book, our notes, and anything else we can find relating to the topic that our exam will cover.

This semester a week before my final, I found out the exam is open book. This is the best news! I was so excited to kick this test in the butt....then I remembered... I never bought the book. Wait what? Yeah...I thought it was kind of dumb to spend all that money on books that I don't really need. I mean hey I'm a senior I don't need to by textbooks. Now as I am realizing my mistakes it might be too late. I mean I doubt the book store has any left in stock, and ordering online around Christmas time will likely take 7 years, not 7 days.

Sometimes I think as Christians we float through life like seniors who float through classes. I grew up in the church so I know all of the right materials. I know the right things to say and how to say things to "encourage others" in the Lord. I can even quote John 3:16 to you with my eyes closed. But I never bought the book. Yes, I do own a Bible and yes I am trying to get into reading it on a daily basis. But how many of us Christians come to a test in our lives and we are so ready to conquer it ourselves. We try and remember everything we ever heard someone else say, we try and fight using our own knowledge.

Then God reminds us the test is open book. He has given us tools to fight against the enemy in his word. Using the book seems like a cop out, we should KNOW this stuff. If God was really testing me he would want me to rely on my own strength and use the bible verses I had memorized. If I use the book that shows God that I didn't really learn everything that I was supposed to learn. That means I failed, or worse cheated.

Psalm 18:30 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him."

God is asking us to take refuge in him and he is saying that his word is a shield for us. When we go through trials God never asks us to recall everything and only be able to rely on our own knowledge. Prior knowledge is good because even in an open book test, you can get through it a lot faster when you already have an idea of where the information is. If we are going through tests of our faith, attacks on or our family, our friends, or any other things Satan can throw at us...we can rest in knowing that the test is open book.

God has given us the Bible for a reason and it does not show we are weak when we use it. Yes, God wants us to store scripture in our heart, but he loves us so much that he knows there is no way for us to know every scripture in the same way that God does, or the same way our neighbor does.

When we get to heaven God will ask us why we should get in; saying that you came to class, did okay on tests, and can recite exactly what the teacher/preacher said won't be enough. If we never buy the book and actually read it, then we may have missed out on what the whole purpose of the class was about.