Like it or not, we are being tested all the time.
"The weakest of all weak things is a virtue that has not been tested in the fire." —Mark Twain
The journey of life is filled with paradoxes. On one hand, our spirit desires to demonstrate true inner strength and beauty, yet some of the deepest beauty we contain is only discovered as a result of painful challenges and incidents that "test" us. And who wants to be tested?
Like it or not, we are being tested all the time. Those with true courage have paved the way for the rest of us to shine, despite the accompanying hardships. I have come across remarkable people who have been painfully tested in their circumstances. Some with health issues, some with relationships, others with financial difficulties—and the list goes on. There seems to be a deep shine on the faces of those who have succeeded in overcoming seemingly impossible tests.
"If there is no analytical knowledge, there is no applied knowledge." (Avot 3:17)
When we consider the sometimes profound byproduct of a challenge, we are forced to entertain the idea that perhaps at the core of our test is an intense, concealed potential for light.
Unfortunately, when we are in the midst of a challenge, it can be difficult to see the light.
I remember my teenage years, roughing the challenges of internal growth—the pain sometimes seemed impossible. I recall hearing a story of a teenage girl who wrote to my teacher, the Rebbe, regarding the agony she had on her journey. She had hoped to receive a reply to her pain-filled note, but that did not happen.
After a few weeks, she wrote the Rebbe again, asking if she was being ignored and if that meant that the Rebbe did not care about her. To this, the Rebbe responded: "When you will become a mother, and your child will be teething, you will understand my pain."
Consider the great contributions made to medical research by those who have endured the test of poor health. Or the courageous survivors of abuse who have used their test to save countless others from the pain that they suffered.
I was taught by the Rebbe that when we are tested, there is a light in the challenge waiting to be discovered. The sooner we become aware of this reality, the sooner we get to experience the concealed light. And once the discovery happens and the potential light has been unveiled, the test is transformed into a milestone.
Thus the passage: "A refining pot is for silver, and a furnace is for gold, but G-d tests the hearts (of man)." (Proverbs 17:3)