Article May 10, 1999 Issue

CLEAR THINKING AT EXAM TIME

Charles Edward Langton

I was enrolled in a master's degree program in which a comprehensive examination was required. I felt that I was well prepared to take the exam. Upon reading the first question, however, I had no idea as to how to proceed. It was as if a deep fog had settled on my ability to reason in a logical manner, much less remember the concepts taught in the classroom. At first I felt panic, but then I quickly realized that prayer and the guidance of God, divine Mind, would enable me to proceed.

I recognized that as God's reflection, or likeness, I could not be deprived of any aspect of intelligence, whether it be memory, spontaneity, or expression of ideas. I recalled this statement from Science and Health: "A knowledge of the Science of being develops the latent abilities and possibilities of man. It extends the atmosphere of thought, giving mortals access to broader and higher realms. It raises the thinker into his native air of insight and perspicacity" (p. 128).

As my fear subsided, a verse from the Bible also provided inspiration. It is from First John and reads in part: "... ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (2:20). Surely I could know and express what I needed, when I needed it. At this point, all doubt and anxiety were gone, and the ideas I needed flowed into thought in an orderly manner. I successfully completed the exam and the degree program.

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