An easy way to ace a test?

The second the teacher finished his sentence, his statement sounded like a really dumb idea.

We were going to have a test. An “open book” test.

Granted, not a single person complained. I mean, if we’re going to take a test, and the teacher was going to allow everyone to use their books in finding the test answers, then no one was going to point out to him how ludicrous that seemed. After all, it sounded like an easy way to score an “A.”

But even by allowing all the students to use their books, some didn’t make an A on the test. Some students actually did quite poorly. That’s because they were unfamiliar with the textbook and had no idea where to find the answers. By the time they dug through chapter after chapter, time for the test was over. And so was their chance for an easy grade.

Actually, the teacher’s idea wasn’t so dumb. Learning isn’t always about a grade. Knowing how to find the answers to questions is an important skill to have, one that can be refined by open book examinations. For this kind of exam, the teacher was more interested in building his students’ learning skills than testing rote knowledge.

Living the Christian life is sometimes like an open book test. The Bible tells us we’ll face tests in life, and the Teacher allows us to have an “open book” — the Bible — during every test we face.

That should make each test much easier for us. After all, the answers can be found in the Book.

But some still do poorly, because they remain unfamiliar with the text.

How are you doing in your tests of life?

Scotty