Read: Romans 3:23-24; Colossians 1:22

Laura sat in bed with math papers strewn all over the place. “Six times eight is forty-eight, seven times eight is fifty-six, eight times eight is—”

“Sixty-four!” Mom answered as she walked in. “Are you still studying, Laura? You should be asleep!”

Laura sighed. “I know. I’m just so nervous about my test tomorrow. What if I fail? I’m so hopeless at multiplication!” Anxious tears welled up in Laura’s eyes. “I don’t want to let Mr. Finch down—or you and Dad.”

Mom sat down and pulled Laura close. “Let us down? No way! You’ve worked so hard for this test. You’ve done your best, and that’s good enough for us.”

Laura smiled. Mom’s reassuring words made her feel slightly better. “Why do we have to take tests, anyway?” she asked.

“Hmm,” said Mom. “Good question. Tests can help measure how much we’ve learned or how far we’ve come. And they show us areas where we still need to improve and grow.”

Laura nodded. “God helps us grow, doesn’t He?”

“He certainly does,” replied Mom. “But the greatest thing of all is that we can come to God just as we are. He doesn’t require us to meet a certain standard before we come to Him, because Jesus has already reached the mark for us!”

“When He died on the cross?” asked Laura.

“Exactly,” said Mom. “Jesus met God’s standard for us because we couldn’t—He lived a perfect life and then died for our sins and rose again.”

Laura grinned. “He took the test so we don’t have to!”

“Yep!” said Mom. “And He passed it—one hundred percent!”

Laura sighed. “I wish I didn’t have to take this math test tomorrow. Studying is hard!”

“I know,” said Mom. “Life is full of all kinds of tests—sometimes we’re tested by difficulties or temptations. But even when we fail time and time again, Jesus always forgives us. The point isn’t to do everything perfectly, but to trust Him to help us persevere and grow. He won’t take your math test for you tomorrow, but you can pray that He’ll give you the focus and perseverance you need.”

Laura smiled. “I think I’ll pray about it right now.”

–Angela Jelf

How about you?

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