“The testing of your faith develops perseverance." ~ James
1:2-3
The 3-day mental marathon would
soon begin. Jolene had gone to law
school for three years and studied hard just to graduate. Review classes at night had ruined her social
life for the past eight weeks. Now, passing
the bar exam was all that kept her from practicing the law. She was ready!
The odds of passing were in her favor. Ten percent of the people were dumber than her;
a similar number were gonna have at least one bad day. Another fifteen percent were going to freak
out and choke. She liked her chances.
Jolene gulped some calming breaths and tried to relax; there
wasn’t anything she could do now to change her test performance. Besides, her Mom had been praying the rosary
for weeks . . . and that never hurt.
But as she entered the cavernous testing room and positioned
herself at a rickety table, negative thoughts crept into her
consciousness. Annoying traffic sounds outside
clashed with the rush of adrenaline now raging through her veins. Had she studied enough? Were the others better prepared? Would concepts that she knew yesterday no
longer make sense today?
The proctor passed out the exam and left the room. Within a short time, students pulled out
cheat sheets from under their shirts or from their pockets. Jolene’s anxiety soared; she felt her heart beat
faster and her muscles tensing. Sweat began
running down the small of her back. It’s
almost impossible to compete against cheaters she thought to herself.
About that time a tall, lanky man stood up in the back of
the room and shouted: “I left my hometown and put my wife and twin little
babies in an upstairs apartment while I worked full-time to get though Law
School. And you’d better believe that I’ll
turn in the first one of you who cheats,” he barked adamantly.
They believed him!
Cheat sheets started disappearing as fast as guilty
expressions had appeared. He’d just set the
standard for a group that would later become some of the most prominent and
respected lawyers in our country’s history – including Jolene Bransner JD.
In reality, we’re only in competition with ourselves. Others can challenge and motivate us, but we
must reach down deep into our souls and call forth our God-given intelligence
and capabilities. We cannot do this when
we depend on the efforts of someone else.
Honesty is a principle, and we have a moral obligation to
determine how best to apply its code.
While we have the ability to make choices, we will ultimately be
accountable for each choice we make. We
may cheat others, but there is One we will never deceive.
Lord, I pray that our Youth understand that
a relationship with You is more important than any other thing in this life. Cheating is not worth losing Your
presence and rejecting Your grace even if for a moment. Thank You for Your light upon them. Amen
