"Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God" - Philippians 4:6
Throughout my life, I have found myself relying more on the comfort of my family, rather than the power of God. Even though I was born and raised a Catholic, I never asked or prayed for anything more than my family's well-being, and for the safety of those around me. All of this changed a few weeks ago.
As I go through more and more semesters of college, I get closer and closer to applying to grad school. Getting my Master's Degree has been a dream of mine since I was old enough to know what it was, and every day I get closer to fulfilling that dream. The more time that passes though, the more important each grade in my classes become, and the more important each exam becomes. Because of this, I found myself in a bit of a stressful situation during midterm week.
I had spent every day on campus, at least ten hours per day, studying before, after, and in between classes. I had created a very anxious and stressful situation for myself, and even though I knew I had put in the hours and the work, I felt like I would not be successful on my first round of exams.
I had tried everything. Taking naps, taking deep breaths, telling myself I knew what I was doing, but nothing seemed to calm my nerves. This feeling persisted through the weekend and finally, on the day of my first exam, I did something uncharacteristic, I prayed to God and asked him to help me get through the week.
Almost instantly, I found myself compelled to type "bible verses for stress" into my Google search bar. After reading through a list of the top bible verses for anxiety and stress, I instantly felt calm, relieved, and exponentially better than I had just five minutes prior. This immediate relief shocked me, and in that moment I knew, God put the thought of searching into my head.
Upon completion of this list, I went and took my first exam, and had never felt better about a test. This feeling of security, faith, and love stuck with me as I took two more exams that week, and produced grades that I really needed to see at this point in the semester.
I've always heard about the power of prayer, but had never truly experienced it for myself until a few weeks ago. I know now that I can do all things through Christ, and that His love for me is unending and full. I know now that it is okay to ask for help, and that He will be there for me whenever I need.