The weather is (finally!) warming up, the days are lengthening as we approach the summer solstice, hay-fever sufferers are monitoring the daily pollen count and we are, of course, in the middle of exam season.
If you are the parent or grandparent of a teenager or can see teenagers in your church hard at it, you might have sympathy with the wise words of Ecclesiastes: ‘Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body’ (Ecc.12:12).
As a teacher for over 20 years, and now a parent of three teenagers, I have seen both sides of the exam experience. I have also been an examiner for several different exam boards over the years and, contrary to popular belief, examiners are not trying to catch you out or take marks away from you. One of the key points in examiner training is the importance of ‘marking positively’. Exam boards are actively looking for ways to rewards students for their knowledge and ideas. The question is always where can we give credit rather than where can we penalise. I wonder if that is a principle we could apply to life as Christians too?
Do we assume the worst? Are we looking to penalise rather than commend? In our churches? At work? At home? When watching the news? The book of James reminds us to ‘take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry’ (James 1:19 NIV). There is much to be concerned about and to mourn in our world, but maybe we could bring these things to God in prayer rather than sounding off in person or online.
In his letter to the Philippians, the apostle Paul urges us to look for ‘whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things’ (Phil.4:8). Can we ‘mark positively’ – acknowledging what is praiseworthy in the colleague who we find difficult, the tricky character in our church, or the politician who is not from our chosen party?
One of the best things about marking exam papers, however, is those rare occasions when you come across a paper that is not just accurate and excellent but provides an answer that exceeds the mark scheme – you would give that candidate more than full marks if it were possible! If our lives were exam papers then they would be full of blots and crossings out, wrong answers and lost marks. But Jesus is God’s perfect answer to the greatest test of all – one He passed with flying colours – and the results are ones we can all celebrate and share in.
Exams can feel like an unfair and stressful memory test but, wonderfully, the Holy Spirit writes God’s laws on our hearts. As Jeremiah 31:31-33 puts it:
I will put my laws in their minds
and write them on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
No longer will they teach their neighbour,
or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest.
So whether you’re looking back at your own school days with pride or disappointment, or around at those currently slogging through exam season, let’s pray that we would have peace and confidence in Jesus’ perfect score.
Popes, elections, Eurovision – and disappointment
As I write this, the world seems to have gone conclave crazy! Prompted by the death of Pope Francis, the …