To ACT or to Act?

FB Smit shares the story of God's perfect timing around her daughter's college entrance exam.

My daughter, a rising high school senior, is taking the American College Testing (ACT) standardized test for college admission. Upon taking 2 live tests and dozens of practice tests, she had a consistent complaint: running out of time before she can finish all of the problems. Students practice speed and accuracy, and those not satisfied with the results take the test multiple times to increase their scores. Only the speedy problem solvers get the higher-score spoils.

The morning she took the test for the third time, she asked me to pray over her, as we do in our household whenever stakes feel high. It’s desperation time when this teenager asks for prayer.

We made the sign of the cross and I prayed out loud for peace for whatever score God wants for her, and that she would get into the college God chooses for her. I also prayed for God to multiply her time so that she would the resources she needed to finish the test.

After taking the test, she gushed over how, for the first time ever, she had enough time to finish all of the problems—and even enough to check over the answers. I’m realizing my out-loud prayer must have come from the Holy Spirit.

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Never losing a chance for a teachable moment (she may call it lecturing, but ... whatever), I told her that God is the architect of time, and so He is not bound by it; He can speed things up or slow things down at will. And boom! We were the recipients of God’s miracle. 

That night, I belted NEEDTOBREATHE’s song "Multiplied" at the top of my lungs, because why not: we are the beneficiaries of God’s multiplied grace!

Click to tweet:
To act is to share God’s miracles big and small with others in hopes it will build up their faith. #CatholicMom

For me, to act is to share God’s miracles big and small with others in hopes it will build up their faith, just as other people have shared with me their happy God happenings. Hearing their testimonies props up my spirit, especially when I’m discouraged, and leads me forward on my faith journey. It’s an act that builds up community.

Out of curiosity, I looked up and found an example of God’s dominion over time in the Bible:

The sun stood still, the moon stayed, while the nation took vengeance on its foes. This is recorded in the Book of Jashar. The sun halted halfway across the heavens; not for an entire day did it press on. (Joshua 10:13)

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