Every learning experience eventually includes a test.

At the International Christian Brotherhood's year-end event, “The Blueprint for Manhood,” Pastor Jamaal Bernard spoke about our need to test ourselves like a teacher would test a student.

Did we learn? And how much?

Here’s the thing about testing. You may be nervous. You may be terrified. But you can’t take the test scared.

You can’t let fear of giving the wrong answer keep you from answering at all.

You can’t let intimidation for the process keep you in your head when your body already knows what to do.

In every artistic discipline I ever undertook, they would emphasize practice.

As a musician, as a singer, as an actor, you practice the piece. You practice your notes. You practice your phrasing. You practice dynamics. You practice technique. You think about what you are doing, so you can make choices about what you want to do.

And then, every teacher would say in one way or another, when the performance comes, you throw all that thinking out, and just sing. Just play. Just enter the moment. Just, as the slogan says, do it.

Because by that point, your body knows what to do. And the only way you’ll really do it is if you go all in.

Life is a performance.

You can study.

You can practice.

You can learn as much as possible.

And then when it’s time to take the test, you walk in and give it your best shot.

And you learn from the results.

Growing doesn’t mean we don’t make mistakes. It means that we should not make the same mistakes. And we should actually celebrate when we advance to new mistakes.

Because the alternative is not growing and faking it. Which is bad enough in peace time. But deadly in a battle. A clean gun with no bullets is not what you need. Don’t use fighting words, and fighting stances, if you’re not prepared to fight.

Eventually, someone will call your bluff.

Sometimes life will.

If we fear the mistakes, we won’t try.

If we fear the mistakes, we will pretend we know what we’re doing, and get in trouble when we come up against someone who actually does.

Many of us are walking around picking fights we’re not prepared to have.

We’re shadowboxing with danger, and all we’re prepared to do is fight shadows.

The question is does the real you match up with the person you present in public?

Pastor Jamaal encouraged us to dig deep enough to find out.

What would it look like, he asked, if we examined ourselves like someone we were interrogating, to catch in a lie?

What if we examined ourselves like an author, who wanted to tell a detailed, nuanced, accurate story, that went from borders to interior? That went from valleys to summits?

What if we test-drove our character like a used car buyer, wanting to know the wear and tear, to see what we can do, and where repair is needed?

All of these scenarios reflect a common reality. We can’t just look the part. We need to be able to play the role. We need to be able to live it.

We can’t just tell ourselves stories that fall apart under scrutiny. We need to live by truth.

We can’t just live know the broad contours of our self-image. We need to know every hill and valley, every garden and sandlot, every highway and dead end.

We can’t just be model cars. We need to be able to drive.

Sometimes the road is longer than you think.

Sometimes the role is tougher than you expected.

But you, my friend, have more in you than you know.

So take the test.

And get moving.

(Photo Credit: Andy Barbour)