Life is a Test

1 Cor 4:2  Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.

God has entrusted so much to my care and stewardship: my wife, kids, extended family, a job and career, house, vehicles, time and so on.  Life then is a test of how I care for all that with which I've been entrusted.  I've been faithful to that trust moreso in some areas than others, but as I contemplate each specific trust, I find that I could do more or better as the case may be.  I could manage my time and money better for instance.  I could be a better encourager to my wife.  I could be more supportive of my adult daughter.  I could be even more diligent at work. 
Rick Warrant points out that God tests us to reveal and improve our character.  Abraham's test with Isaac, for instance was a test to prove to Abraham that nothing, not even a beloved son, would come before Abraham's relationship with God.  I believe God already knew the depth of Abraham's devotion, but Abraham needed to know and as we see in the new testament, other people needed a frame of reference for true devotion to God.  I believe that God already knows the potential of my character to both grow into full maturity and devotion as well as to backslide into failure due to laziness and self-centeredness.  Someone once said we're always growing until we die.  The question is am I growing closer to God and more like Him, or am I growing apart and thus less like him.  God is testing us to reveal our growth status and challenge us to depend on him to mold us and shape us into His image such that each and every trust is an opportunity for Him to deposit His grace into other's lives.  May I not fear or reject the test, but embrace it as an opportunity to grow into His likeness.