Your Life is a Report Card
A person who shall remain nameless (my brother, John) didn’t particularly care for school and his grades reflected it. Of course, he didn’t particularly care for the trouble he got in when his report card came home. So he came up with a brilliant idea: he took a pen and carefully turned all of his Fs into beautiful As. Problem solved.
Or so he thought!
You see, he may have changed the letter on his paper report card, but he hadn’t changed the truth about his performance. He hadn’t changed reality. When my mother went to meet with his teacher, the truth came out. His cover-up operation didn’t work.
If my brother had put as much effort and creativity into his performance as he put into his cover-up, he would have been much better off.
Women know all about cover-up operations! We live stressed-out lives and our faces reflect the strain and exhaustion. So we cover-up with make-up (I know I sure do!) But as the day goes on, the make-up fades and the truth is revealed.
We neglect our bodies, but we cover-up with layers of clothing all winter long. But when summer rolls around, the truth is revealed.
We neglect our homes and it’s our little secret, but then unexpected company stops by and the truth is revealed. Ouch!
We neglect our children, busy building our careers, then they grow up and we finally figure out what Cat Stevens was singing about.
We neglect our relationship with God and manage to ‘get by’ but then a crisis hits and we collapse under the weight of it. Or as my running partner, Starla, always puts it: life squeezes you and something other than delightful orange juice comes out!
Your life is a report card telling you about you. Don’t waste time trying to cover-up. There’s grace and forgiveness, so the cover-up that matters most is already accomplished. Namely, our sins are covered. Indeed, washed away. Rather, use the information contained in that report card to make adjustments:
What is your physical health telling you about you?
What are your closest relationships telling you about you?
What are your physical surroundings (car, home, office) telling you about you?
What is your spiritual life telling you about you?
Read the report card. Then rather than hiding the truth from your mom, get down on your knees and ask your Heavenly Father to help you make the needed adjustments. Usually, it’s just a matter of shifting priorities and making different choices. You can do. God will help.
If it makes you feel any better, my current report card isn’t exactly straight As. But tomorrow is a brand new day, with no mistakes in it. I plan to make the most of it. Trust you’ll do the same.
Blessings,
