The Test

A little over a year ago I went to my orthopedic doctor for a bum knee. We decided surgery was the best option. Because of other health issues I had to "be cleared" for surgery by my primary care doctor. She required an echocardiogram before she would "clear" me for surgery. Test results...not good. I was then told I needed to undergo the "Stress Test." After much discussion I agreed to the procedure. Test results...not good.

I was told I had a severe blockage in my arteries. I felt fine, with the exception of my knee, but my heart was a ticking time bomb. I never would have guessed it.

The stress test made the difference. After receiving the results I was in stunned silence. I couldn’t believe it. I was a little plump but not overweight. I played golf and basketball. I swam a little and took the stairs, sometimes, during hospital visits. I wasn’t the picture of perfect health, but heart disease? How could this happen to me?

Eventually, I accepted the truth and prepared myself for by-pass surgery. I used the word eventually, but this process lasted about one week. As I worked myself through this quagmire of disbelief, a spiritual message began to emerge.

The stress test made the difference. Our spiritual lives must be strong enough to face the stress test because the stresses of life will surely come; the stresses of loneliness, temptation, of rejection, fear of death, fear of life, of ruptured relationships, of sickness, of pain, and of disillusionment. These stresses can be just too much for a weak spiritual heart, but they are inevitable for all of us. We must all ultimately face the stress test of life no matter how easily and comfortably things seem to be riding along at the present.

Kind of like the guy in the Bible who knew that the storms would be coming, and therefore, built his house upon a rock. We too must build our own lives with the inescapable storms always in mind. The stress test is always on the horizon, and a phony faith will never pass the test. Remember, a person’s faith is no stronger than his hardest test.

The Apostle Paul was able to pass the stress test. Listen to him, “…I have learned how to be content in whatever circumstances I am in. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:11-12 NASB).

Are you ready for the stress test?