“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the LORD has promised to those who love him.” ~ James 1:12

This weekend my girls 16U softball team will be playing in a national qualifier and after our first weekend where we played some pretty good softball, I feel we are ready to pass the test. This had me thinking about the many tests (Family, Work, Teams) that show up daily for all of us. We can be tested as families through tragedies or sometimes a family secret.  Work can bring many tests when there is an ethical or integrity question looming. With youth teams, there is even more test, for the kid, and for the parents. When the team’s needs are different than what the kid or parents want, how will they pass the test? Bryan Stevenson the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author of the book Just Mercy shared in a TED talk about how his grandmother made him promise three things: 1) Always take care of your mom, 2) always do the right thing even if it is hard and 3) never drink alcohol. I can only imagine the numbers one and two, but for number three he has not had a drink in his 55 years of life. What I am pretty sure of is he passed the test!