I have been encountering a ton of tests lately.

I

feel

like

they

are

showering

down

on

me.

And I am soo happy (mostly) that in the midst of them (at times)

I am becoming more and more aware of the necessity to

be thankful for this time and these tests (instead of scared).

For if we are given food by our Creator that offers us strength,

focus (and a little/lotta pain), who are we to not be grateful (or fearful)?

Now- to be real, I totally know I am not the grateful human

that God is giving tests too all the time; probably more often

than not, I'll be the first to admit. At times I feel myself

kick and scream, mope and whine, get angry and upset over

situations... Then there are those moments where the Sun of Reality

shines on the situation and you sense your abilities and you

realize the great origin of the test and you become encumbered

with a feeling of thankfulness that you had never previously known...

I love that moment.

The following is worth the read... I assure you.

...To the sincere ones,tests are as a gift from God,

the Exalted, for a heroic person hasteneth, with the

utmost joy and gladness, to the tests of a violent

battlefield, but the coward is afraid and trembles

and utters moaning and lamentation. Likewise, an

expert student prepareth and memorizeth his lessons

and exercises with the utmost effort, and in the day of

examination he appeareth with infinite joy before the

master. Likewise, the pure gold shineth radiantly in

the fire of tests. Consequently, it is made clear that for

holy souls, trials are as the gift of God, the Exalted; but

for weak souls they are an unexpected calamity. This

test is just as thou hast written: it removeth the rust

of egotism from the mirror of the heart until the Sun

of Truth may shine therein. For, no veil is greater than

egotism and no matter how thin that covering may be,

yet it will finally veil man entirely and prevent him

from receiving a portion from the eternal bounty.

(Bahá’í World Faith—Selected Writings of Bahá’u’lláh and ‘Abdu’l-Bahá - ‘Abdu’l-Bahá Pages 371-372)

In closing- Thanks for the tests God, however much I may kick and scream. These blessings are totally helpful and I pray that my capacity increases to handle more difficult tests, however scared I may be to say this to You.

-me