James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."
Tests...gross. I have never been good at tests. On algebra tests in high school I was the kid, who when asked to find x, circled it and moved onto the next problem. But what is the purpose of tests? To find out what we have learned and be able to apply it? This disease has required me to undergo many tests, or as I like to refer to them, forms of human torture. Imagine this, you haven't been able to eat all day, because you are required to fast the day before. You try to discretely sneak into the pharmacy, and in a ninja like fashion, make your way up to the counter, trying to remain unnoticed. But there is one problem, EVERYONE and their mom has decided to get the flu shot that day. When it is finally your turn you whisper to the pharmacist "i need a half gallon of Go Lightly (yes this name is in fact ironic. Have you ever seen the Drano Plummer commercial? That's what the Go Lightly does to your insides. There is nothing "light" about it). With luck, the elderly lady, who probably requires hearing aids is working the front counter. She she yells, "WHAT?". To avoid the embarrassment of having to say it again, you hand her the script. Doctors really should be required to have legible penmanship. Not being able to read the script, the elderly woman attracts the attention of several other employees and now the customers behind you are growing restless. Finally you give in an say aloud "I NEED GO LIGHTLY". Your evening plans have now been made public to everyone in the store. The drink they hand you comes with flavors, lemon, cherry, lime and orange. It truly takes like you ate one of these fruits, vomitted it up, mixed said vomit with water and drank it again. Take shots of vomit drink every ten minutes for two hours and wait for the 'Drano Plummer Effect' to take action. A good DVD will usually get you through the next couple of hours and then slowly moving to bed, as to not to reawaken the tired beast inside, trying to get out. The next morning you arrive and begin prep for the test. They put you in an area of stations separated by curtains and hook you up to a drip to keep you hydrated. You soon realize that the elderly people love to get scoped because "nothing is better than getting cleaned out", and they are not afraid to tell you about the latest recipes involving prunes. Finally it is your turn to be wheeled into the testing room. They begin a sedative drip that does not put you to sleep but makes you unable to remember anything. If they were to accidentally give you too much, it could have embarrassing effects, such as telling the doctor "I bet I have the nicest ass you will see all day", or refuse to put your clothes on afterwards. Then for some reason, after having this "amnesia" medicine administered and the test over with, the doctor finds it appropriate to tell you what he found. This only causes you the patient to ask your parents "what did the doctor say?" every ten minutes because the sedative is still in your system.
This long drawn out process is all a mean to getting answers. Answers that can be applied to help me live life more efficiently. The more I look at it, the more I realize this is the same process is the same way God tests us. He convicts us with the Spirit (embarrassing moment at the pharmacy), cleans out the sinful nature (vomit drink), and then searches our hearts to reveal truth (actual scope) and then leads us down the straight and narrow which allows us to live life more effectively for Him.
I'm sure everyone has learned this lesson in a more "normal" fashion, I guess this is just another example of how I am living proof that God does have a sense of humor.
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