How a Worldwide Pandemic Exposes the Heart

I have shared publicly a couple of times that God uses trials to expose us.  He uses trials to expose what’s really in our hearts - where we’ve placed our hope.  God has used the trials of this worldwide pandemic and my life to expose a lot of false hopes and counterfeit gods in my life - and it’s been very painful. Maybe you can resonate with what I’m struggling through. 

Stuff like: 

Watching investments dwindle and our economy be dismantled.

Seeing ministry work with MSU come to a screeching halt.

Having a computer hard drive crash (never a good time to lose years of work).

Wondering how this virus will affect my friends and family.

A future that feels more uncertain than it ever has.

James tells us to consider it pure joy when we face trials of many kinds because the testing of our faith develops perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything (James 1:2-4).

Paul wrote something similar to the Church at Rome in Romans 5:3-5 ESV:

Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,  and endurance produces character, and character produces hope,  and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

Did you see the progression there? 

Suffering -> Endurance -> Character -> Hope  

It would almost seem like we have to suffer in order to come out the other side of the equation with our hope placed firmly in Jesus.

God wants to help us learn to depend on Him.  And as we face trials, He wants us to come to the end of ourselves so that we can learn to fully trust Him:  with our finances, our health, our work, and our future.

We are entering into a season in life where our hearts have been and will continue to  be exposed. For me, as things are stripped away, I am forced to slow down and ask the question - can I be content without ________ (401K, vacations, work, health, school, March Madness, workout facilities, dreams, etc)?  Is Jesus enough?  

My encouragement to you is to take the time to slow down, get alone with Jesus, and deepen your prayer life.  Go to Him with your wrestling. Take your concerns to Him. Pour out your heart to Him. Ask Him to redirect your eyes off of the temporary and onto the unseen eternal.  Ask Him to fill you with hope - the hope of the resurrection, the hope of one day being with Jesus.

God is always about refining - remember His goal is to make you and me like His Son (Romans 8:28-29).  You and I aren’t the first to have struggled with our circumstances. God wants to put our lives on display to a watching world.  How do we respond to a worldwide pandemic? What really matters to us? How is God at work in our lives? Let’s lean hard into Jesus and point a watching world to Him.

What can I do to improve my mental health?

You’re just moving into campus. Everything is exciting and new. The weather is great. There’s no pressure from classes yet. Your anxiety and depression seems like a thing of the past. How can you keep moving in a positive direction with your mental health struggles? We thought we’d put a series of articles together to try and give some encouragement to you as you start this academic year.

We asked Dr. Keith Nelson D.O., a series of questions on what a college student can do to stay healthy. We’re going to share the results of our interview with you:

Dr. Nelson, can you share your top 5 thoughts relating to anxiety/depression?
1. “Both are increasing in prevalence every year in all ages.”
2. “Anxiety and depression very often both exist together.”
3. “They are associated with the lack of adequate un-interrupted sleep.”
4. “Marijuana use may exacerbate symptoms and may even cause ADHD and psychosis.”
5. “Seems to relate to rising loneliness/social isolation and use of technology devices.”

Dr. Nelson, what kinds of advice do you give to young people who want to move forward positively as they struggle with anxiety and depression?
1. “Sleep 8 hours nightly without interruption by technology.”
2. “A good practice is to avoid texting and computer 2 hours before bedtime.”
3 “Set an exercise goal of 30 minutes daily. You can even divide that up during the day in 10-15 minute intervals.”
4. “Your diet can play a significant role in your mental health. I encourage students to avoid caffeine, alcohol, sugars, and processed food. Chose to add vegetables and fruits into diet choices.”

Dr. Nelson, those are excellent suggestions. Most of the counsel you just gave us has to do with sleep, exercise, and diet. What else can someone do to make progress in this struggle?
1. “Count your blessings daily. Keep a journal and actively keep track of the things you are thankful for in your life.”
2. “Spend time in meditation or prayer.”
3. “Address any unresolved conflicts in relationships.”
4. “Find ways to serve others.”
5. “Find a confidant or a group of like-minded people with values and character that you respect to share your thoughts of concerns, fears, goals, life.”

Thanks so much, Dr. Nelson, for your thoughts on this topic!

At MSU, there are lots of people who would love to walk with you in your struggle. You can pursue professional help. You can also find people who would love to walk alongside you! The GreenHouse Community is a Christian community and we would love to offer a listening ear and some encouragement (we’ll also take you out for coffee or ice cream on us!). Any time throughout the year, you can text “GreenHouse” to 94090 if you want to connect!

A big thanks to Keith G. Nelson D.O. Family medicine. Dr. Nelson wanted to make a special mention that MSU resources are found at Student Health and Wellness Counseling and Psychological Services. Other college students can contact their college/university counseling services for more information or to get help.

Navigating Transitions

One could argue that all of life is a series of transitions.  You’re born, you transition to life outside the womb, sleeping, nursing, eating, walking, using the big potty, puberty, school transitions, job/career, marriage transitions, parenting transitions, more job transitions, empty nest transitions, and th you die or those you love die.  All of life is a series of transitions. So...

How do you navigate a transition successfully?

1. Know Jesus.

   We must keep the first things first. Times of transition can be distracting and disorienting. This is a vital time to draw closer to Jesus, know him better, and learn to trust Him more. How?

   Pursue Him in…

   • The Bible: Make reading God’s Word the focus of your life – come up with a plan before the transition. As you read, ask yourself, “What is God revealing about himself to us in this passage?” Learn or be reminded of who God is. What is His character like? (He is faithful, steadfast, loving, merciful, kind, powerful, etc.)

   • Prayer:  Transitions can often be lonely times – this can be a great time to deepen your intimacy with God through engaging Him in frequent prayer. Set aside a specific time regularly (daily) and pray.  Don’t just intercede. Talk to God about your life.

   • Obedience:  Is there a specific area where you just need to obey – practice obedience. Don’t just know something about God… know Him because you have experienced Him in your life.

   • Community:  find a community and pursue Christ-centered relationships. (2 Timothy 2:22) They can help you process through your difficulties - get advice, encouragement, and assistance.

2. Know Yourself.

   Know your weaknesses. Where are you more likely to get tripped up or tempted when out of your comfort zone? Make plans to protect yourself during this time. Proverbs 27:12 says “Sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it, but an unthinking person will walk right into it and regret it later.”

3. Know Your Adversary.

   Be aware of the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:10-13; 2 Corinthians 2:10-11).

   What are the schemes of the devil?

   1. Deception: This is #1 for a reason. It is Satan’s primary tool. Jesus calls him the Father of Lies for a reason (John 8:44).

   2. Division of believers: He seeks to destroy God’s community. (Matthew 13:1-58)

   3. Doubt the character of God: Question God’s words, His love, and His goodness (Genesis 3 – “Is God really good?”).

   4. Complacency:  “This is a dangerous state because it causes us to see no need for self-examination. Being overly satisfied with how things are and not wanting to change them for the better prevents us from accelerating with God from glory to glory. In fact, to stop going forward in the spiritual life is to go backward...even if we're standing still.”
      Read more at https://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/galleries/6-strategic-schemes-the-enemy-uses-to-distract-you.aspx?p=2#lxTxrcc3QDS1fbRp.99

   5. Discouragement: Keeping us disheartened or in paralyzing despair.

   6. Diversion: Makes the wrong things seem attractive and harmless. You may want them more than the right things.

   7. Defeat: By using shame, guilt or self-doubt, you feel like a failure, so you don’t even try.

   The best way to beat the devil: Know Christ and Live in the truth of the gospel.

Since all of life is a series of transitions, we need to spend some time thinking through how we can navigate them well. You’re probably on the verge of a transition right now - it’s a great time to draw near to God and allow the transition to push you closer to Him!

How do you choose which Christian group to connect with while you're at MSU?

In an age with lots of options, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and choose nothing. I would highly discourage you from making that choice as you’re transitioning to a campus like Michigan State. Here are a couple things to consider while making a decision:

1. Is the focus Jesus? Get involved somewhere where Jesus and the gospel message are the focus.

2. Is the group connected with a local church? The NT teaches us that the church is the vehicle to reach the world with the gospel. The beauty of finding a college ministry connected with a church is that you will learn about what it will be like to be apart of a local church - which is what you will be involved with for the rest of your life.

3. Is there a multigenerational influence? Wouldn’t it be awesome to find a ministry where olders and youngers interact together. It seems like young people need older people in their lives to offer wisdom and life skills that you may not have developed or seen the need for up to this point in your life.

4. Does the ministry have a dynamic community? Finding a community is huge - but you need to find a community that is healthy and focused outward on trying to serve and love people outside of itself.

You will become like the community you are a part of. It’s a principle that is true at every point in life - and especially when you are making a transition to Michigan State University. Make the decision before you arrive to jump in and be apart of a local church and ministry and join in the effort of taking the life transforming gospel of Jesus to your fellow Spartans!