Growing up, we lived in a house for a while with a giant pebble path in the front yard that led through a garden.

I’m sure it looked beautiful.

But when it rained and weeds started popping up in between every little pebble on the pathway, I knew that my mom would make my sisters and me go out and weed.

It was the worst!

President Eyring shared a similar experience about having to weed the garden at their home when he was young, and how frustrated he got with the weeds breaking off in his hands, leaving the roots behind.

“This is too hard!” he would say.

And his mother would respond: “Oh, Hal, of course it’s hard. It’s supposed to be. Life is a test.”

At BYU, I remember taking a final exam for my Physical Science class.

Every time there was a question about the properties of light, I realized I was a little fuzzy on the details. I guessed the best I could and moved on.

At the end of the exam, there were two written response questions.

As I read the first question and started writing my response, something clicked, and I finally remembered the right answer!

I wrote an accurate response for my written answer, and then I spent time going through all the previous questions and changing my answers to fit what I had finally remembered.

In Abraham 3:25, the Lord describes the whole plan: “And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them”.

Life really is a test, to see if we are going to keep the commandments and turn our hearts to God.

But the cool part?

I’m only going to be judged by where I end up.

If I “figure out” the right way to serve better, to love better, to study better, to worship better, halfway through the test, I don’t have to go back through and change all my answers from before.

I get to progress.

And in order to pass the test, to “prove myself”, I just need to reflect on where my heart is right now.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

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