Spiritual test prep?
The ACT was looming, and I was feeling extreme pressure to get a good score. This standardized, three-hour test includes sections on math, reading, English, and science, and the resulting score is heavily considered during the college admissions process in the United States, where I live. It felt like how well I did on the test would play a huge role in determining my future.
I’ve attended Christian Science Sunday School since I was little, so I’ve learned to view God and prayer as my “first aid” in times of trouble. In the past, I’d often turned to prayer when I was sick or hurt, but I’d rarely prayed about feeling stressed. As I was studying for the test, though, it suddenly hit me that I could pray about the ACT.
While it felt like my success was entirely dependent on me, I knew from what I’d learned in Christian Science that I am actually God’s expression—the expression of all God’s qualities, including intelligence and insight. I love the spiritual definition of intelligence in the textbook of Christian Science, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy: “Substance; self-existent and eternal Mind; that which is never unconscious nor limited” (p. 588). As I thought about this, I realized that my ability to perform well on this test wasn’t fueled by brainpower or an understanding of academic concepts, but by my expression of unlimited divine intelligence—of the one true Mind, God.
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