禱告在基督徒信仰生活中是不可或缺的，筆者也曾用呼吸來比喻禱告對基督徒的重要性。但是，神的兒女在基督裏向神的呼求，有許多是沒有蒙神應允的，也就是神並沒有按我們祈求的內容來回應我們。既然神只按祂的心意來回應禱告，我們為什麼還要繼續向神祈求呢？

    我的母親已經在癌末最後的日子中。從去年底被診斷出大腸癌，今年1月4日開刀確認已經是第四期。2-3月中經歷過兩次化療，四月初突感喘不過氣，發現肺積水，醫生宣布只剩下三個月。儘管主治醫師仍主張再開一次刀，希望可以切除阻塞小腸的腫瘤，開刀的結果是癌組織已經在腹膜和胸腔間形成一整片的硬塊，手術刀完全進不去；徒留腹部22公分的傷口。這一切發生得很快，而且每一次都是最糟的結果。

    Last week I led a workshop for 國三students on how to deal with test anxiety. From a counseling perspective, effectively handling test anxiety consists of identifying triggers and training the body and mind to respond to them.  Thus, I asked students to name the negative thoughts, feelings, and physical responses that occurred when they sat down to take an important test.  Students reported feeling nervous and worried with their body sometimes feeling too hot or too cold, their hearts racing, and the urge to pick at their fingernails.  They mentioned negative thoughts such as “Other students are smarter or faster than me,”  “What if I fail?” and “I just want to be done with the test and do other things.”  All of these triggers work together to flood the body and brain so that students freeze, forget what they studied, or even sometimes give up.