Stressed? Pressured? There is help.
It was the end of the semester, and I felt overwhelmed by the number of things I had to do. I was involved in many extracurriculars and was taking a very heavy course load. One of my classes was especially demanding. Of all the courses for my major, this one was known to be the most challenging and included a very important final paper.
The paper was due at the end of the week, but it was hard to focus on it because so many other things seemed to be clamoring for my attention. I also felt a lot of pressure. Besides wanting to get a good grade, I really wanted to impress my professor, with whom I wished I had a more positive relationship.
Students: Get
JSH-Online for
$5/mo
Every recent & archive issue
Podcasts & article audio
Mary Baker Eddy bios & audio
Every recent & archive issue
Podcasts & article audio
Mary Baker Eddy bios & audio
Feeling physically and mentally worn out, I turned to Christian Science for help because I didn’t want to feel this way anymore. I reached out to a Christian Science practitioner and asked for prayer. I mentioned that I didn’t know how I would find the time to pray because of how busy I was. But I said I’d try to take advantage of walks to and from class and other brief periods of time.
I felt a lot of pressure.
One of the things the practitioner shared was that the Bible says we can let go of our burdens and trust them to God (see Psalms 55:22). This was a good reminder that this was not all on my shoulders; I was leaning on God. As the reflection of God, I express all of His qualities, such as grace, discernment, and strength. But God is the source of those qualities, not me.
The practitioner also reminded me of this passage from Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures: “God is not separate from the wisdom He bestows” (Mary Baker Eddy, p. 6). To me that said that because God is ever present and expresses His wisdom everywhere, and because I am a child of God, I must reflect that wisdom. I couldn’t be separate from it any more than God could.
As the week progressed, I felt calmer and everything else fell into place, allowing me to give more attention to my paper. But I was still struggling to find all of the sources and information I needed to be able to finish it.
Focusing on the good really buoyed me up and kept me mentally above any stress or anxiety.
I had another conversation with the practitioner, in which she reminded me of a story from the Bible in which Jesus walked on the water during a storm. She pointed out that Jesus walked over the waves, not into or through them. And I could do the same, metaphorically. She also shared with me what Mrs. Eddy has to say about this in Unity of Good: “Jesus taught us to walk over, not into or with, the currents of matter, or mortal mind” (p. 11). I knew I’d never want to walk directly into the waves (the challenges I was faced with). So I worked to flip that mental picture. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I tried to find the good in everything I was doing. And wow, was there lots of good! Focusing on the good really buoyed me up and kept me mentally above any stress or anxiety. And though I’d been worried that I couldn’t make time to pray, I found that prayer was happening effortlessly: These ideas naturally stayed with me as I moved through my responsibilities.
24 hours before the paper deadline, I was in the middle of pulling together the information to support the main point of my paper when I got a notification from one of the news sources I subscribed to. A huge article had just been released with findings that exactly matched my paper’s focus. The article included everything I needed to complete my assignment.
I was able to finish the paper with confidence and with a deep love for my topic. I received not only a good grade for all my efforts but also some very positive feedback about what I’d written and about my hard work in the class overall.
Looking back on this experience, I’m reminded of a second healing that, at the time, I didn’t realize had taken place. The professor with whom I did not have the best relationship ended up becoming a valued mentor. All my negative feelings dissipated, and I feel nothing but gratitude for this person. I’ve also realized that this course, largely because of the professor, was one of the most helpful and educational classes I took in college.
I’m so grateful for all the blessings that came out of this experience.