Words of Encouragement
From Chancellor Gordon Robertson
A growing number of individuals in the United States and around the world are struggling with mental illness. During the Christmas season, those struggles can intensify for a number of reasons. Finding solutions to the global mental health crisis is an urgent need and one of the biggest challenges facing people 30 years old and under.
Most of the problems we face can be traced back to the COVID outbreak and the isolation that occurred as a result. The World Health Organization says the pandemic triggered a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide.1
Today, so many people have replaced relationships with technology and are trying to live in this “metaverse,” thinking they can be anything they want. But that ultimately leads to absolute confusion of the mind and heart. Our obsessions with digital devices and social media have taken us past a breaking point in our culture, and I think it’s a direct result of turning our backs on God.
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you
James 4:8
If you find yourself lonely and depressed, what’s supposed to be “the most wonderful time of the year” can actually be one of the worst. That’s why positive interactions and regularly connecting with friends and family members, especially during this “Season of Joy,” are so important.
In John 16:33, Jesus tells His disciples, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (NKJV).
Don’t distance yourself from the Lord in times of trouble. Come to Him; express your grief to Him; and turn to Him because He is there. He hears your cries, and He will answer you. The solution and the promise are both found in His Word: “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8).
