This month many young people are awaiting exam results. Some will be celebrating success, while others will be disappointed if they haven’t done so well. My heart goes out to those who don’t achieve the grades they need for those coveted university places, or for the next stage of their education or training. Some of us can remember the “good old days” when anyone with a reasonable basic education could start an apprenticeship or find employment and work their way up from lowly beginnings to a position of responsibility. These days it’s harder to get a job, and some people have to accept work which doesn’t make good use of their skills and qualifications. I hope there won’t be too much disappointment for young people whose education and career path doesn’t take them straight to where they want to be. There may be valuable experience to be gained in other areas before re-sitting exams or finding a different route to a worthwhile career. Sometimes, as we look back, we can see how it all worked out for the best in the long run. Having said all that, passing exams is the passport to entry into some schools as well as the means of gaining a university or college place.
Just imagine how it would be if we had to pass an exam to gain a place in heaven! Picture the scene as people exclaim over their results: “I’ve got an ‘A’ in Good Works, and ‘B’ in Bible Knowledge, but only a ‘C’ in Prayer and a ‘D’ in Church Attendance.” Imagine the despondency as they learn that they need straight ‘As’ for a place in heaven. It sounds ridiculous, but people often speak as if going to heaven one day depended on their own efforts. What if our “End of Life” reports were like those end of term reports with comments like, “Could do better” or “Must try harder”?
The good news is that a place in heaven one day rests not on our efforts, but on God’s grace. Jesus is the way to the Father. He offers us a relationship with God that is as close as that of a child with a loving parent. This relationship makes all the difference in this life, and it goes on into eternity. There’s no need to pass any tests or exams. All that is needed is to turn away from what is wrong in our lives, to turn to Jesus and accept the new life he offers. To coin a phrase, ‘It’s not what you know, but who you know.”
With my love and prayers
Glynis Hetherington
