THE WORLD IS A CLASSROOM AND LIFE IS A TEST

I was taking a shower today when this came into my mind.

Isn't LIFE just an easy test, the simplest quiz?Of course, many will say otherwise. They'll probably say stuff about world hunger, wars, climate change, and so on, but please hear me out. Read these thoughts of mine first before you judge me.

Imagine this:

You and your classmates are at the end of the semester, and this test will determine if you will graduate or not. So you sit in your seats and wait for the teacher. This particular teacher is a queer one. Some of you hate him, others adore him and some don't really care. He is unique in his teaching style; there were times when tests were given before the lessons. He teaches many things, some of them make sense, others, not really.

A few moments later and the door hinges of the room creaks open, revealing a smiling gentleman hugging a stack of paper and a stopwatch dangling on his calloused hands. He is your teacher, ripe in age and soaked in wisdom. Your father in school who guides and teaches you.

"Good morning children" Beamed your teacher.

"Good morning Sir!" Replied some of you.

Others didn't really care and just want to end the test and be done with it.

Still, your teacher kept smiling.

"This will be the last test that will determine the LIFE you will have after school." Says the teacher. He then walks and hands each and every one of you a test paper. You can't help but compare the test paper given to you with those given to others. Not only were the colors different, but the sizes also are not even equal?!

"THIS IS UNFAIR!!" Voiced someone who got a paper that is a meter long.You tell yourself the same thing. You are even sure that the contents are different for each one of you. 'How can the teacher judge us evenly if we are not even taking the same test?' you asked yourself.

The teacher, still smiling, calmed the ruckus.

This time he handed each and every one of you a normal-sized white paper.Some eyebrows were raised when they saw the contents of the paper. This piece of paper, believe it or not, contains the answers to all the questions of the test!Many of you exchanged glances, 'Is this true?' 'Is this some kind of a joke?' whispers were widespread.

You, on the other hand, started scanning the entire test, and true enough, the answers are there."You may start," Says your teacher. The stopwatch on his hand started its count down.You stared at the paper dumbfounded. You even read the instructions and saw that discussion between people is allowed.

The one with the one-meter long paper furiously answered his paper. He did not pay heed to the 'HELPING SHEET' and continued answering as fast as he could, thinking that he will never be good enough and time will run out on him.

Others of your classmates scanned the 'HELPING SHEET' and started answering using it. But in the middle of the test they became skeptical, they questioned the answers given and made their own conclusions.

Some, they did not even touch the 'HELPING SHEET' because they believe they are good enough to answer the problems thrown at them by the test.

As the time tick by, you notice that many of your colleagues despair little by little. Some, however, are blooming and smiling as they continue striving on. You wonder why and asked them, after all, talking and sharing are not prohibited. 'The TEST is hard' 'I do not know how to answer this.' 'I did everything I can but in the end, it was not enough 'I want to give up, I never asked for this.

'The test is easy!' 'It makes me happy that I can graduate from this so easily' 'Wow, living like this is the best, knowing that you will never fail'. Says the other group.

The only difference between the two is that they use different methods to answer the test.

The time kept on ticking.

"*Sob* *Sob* Help me, please." One student is crying, pleading. You know him, he was always the industrious one. The test he got is harder than the average and the paper he was given is almost unreadable. Strangely nobody listened to him, they are so busy within their own world that they never noticed, No, they did notice, they just decided not to care.No matter how hard he tried, he never got anything right. All his answers are always wrong as if life is mocking him. He was ready to give up.

Just then, the teacher approached him. Wiped his tears and told him not to give up. He then picked up the white paper he dropped and showed it to him. The teacher patted his shoulders and said: "I'll be cheering for you, never give up, for I will never give up on you too."And so, the student continued to strive, with a smile this time.

"Arghhhhh!! I give up!!!" Someone shouted, he tore his paper into pieces and walked out of the room.

You were confused, tears were falling from the teachers' eyes. Why does he care so much? If he cares, then why did he give us such a hard test?

Well, he did give us answers. But how do we know that the answers are right?

For some reason, the crying guy from a while ago is going around teaching others. He is still struggling with his test but he makes time for others.

After a while, there were more like him. Going around waving 'HELPING SHEETS' in their hands. Most people ignore them thinking that they are rambling lunatics. Some of them listened, however, after a while, they went back to their old ways. Some are too busy to listen after all time is running out for them, why waste it on useless things.

Then it came. The Stopwatch ran out of TIME.

"It is finished children, time to pass your papers" The teacher was a little bit melancholic as he said that.

'TIME IS TOO SHORT!!' 'WHY DID IT SUDDENLY END?!' 'I HAVEN'T ACHIEVED ANYTHING YET!'Voices of disapproval echoed on the walls, but there is nothing they can do. This is the time when they realized that the 'HELPING SHEET' was right all along. If only they have more time, they could have changed something. But time has run out, it is finished.Then came the judgment, some passed, but most of them failed terribly. Those who passed moved to a big city where they'll have free accommodation, food and all the amenities they could ask for.

The children left were crying, sobbing and gnashing their teeth. They will live the rest of their days in pain and despair that everything could have ended well if only they have listened.IF ONLY.

You have reached the end of my ramblings, Congratulations!

The test of LIFE is an easy quiz. All the answers to your questions and problems are in the BIBLE. You just have to find it and apply it to your life.

Now, what will it be? Will you fail or pass the test called LIFE. It is your choice, my friend, for at the end of the day it's your TEST, it is your choice.