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The Big Test

The sun came out to play today. Gorgeous blue skies, big white fluffy clouds and actual sunshine. As I walked out of my office today, I noticed they were cutting the grass and I took a few deep breaths of that memory-inducing scent.

Reminds me of care free blue-skied summer days as a child. Dad or my brother would be cutting the grass and the smell....oh the smell. Like the sweet smell of the lilacs that are in bloom right now, I'm swept back in time. I close my eyes instinctively and *see* my life before I became the adult in charge of so many things. The pressure in my chest eases and I relax. Oh...the scent.

Obstacles that seemed insurmountable to me then, now appear as slight crumbs, easily crushed beneath my adult foot. Is it maturity that causes those past trials to seem insignificant compared to current struggles? No, I don't think that's it. Not really. Perhaps it's like going through school. First you're in Kindergarten. They don't teach you chemistry in Kindergarten, they start off with the easy stuff. You learn your A B C's. You have nap time. Snack time. You learn you must share the toys and learn to take your turn.

Then you move on, and the lessons get harder. The math gets more complicated.

Life gets more complicated and if you pass Algebra you can move on to Calculus. One test prepares you for the next. You quietly soldier on and you're able to bear more weight on your shoulders. You're older, stronger, smarter.

That doesn't mean the Big Tests in life are easy. They aren't. Sometimes they are excruciatingly painful and you can't share that pain except on your knees in fervent prayer to the Lord. And if your knees are bad, that physical ritual is taken from you and you are left to spiritually kneel before your Maker and plead for peace, for hearts to soften, for forgiveness, for healing.

And you can't forget to thank Him for the sweet smell of a freshly mowed lawn and the heady scent of lilacs.

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