Unshakeable Ground

     From the beginning of the pandemic, I have felt  God has been exposing the  hearts of man.  There has been this stripping away of sorts to see where we have placed our hope and security.  According to Mental Health America, the following stats show an upward trend in mental illness, depression, and suicides in the past year:

• In 2019, just prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, 19.86% of adults experienced a mental illness, equivalent to nearly 50 million Americans.  
• Suicidal ideation continues to increase among adults in the U.S. 4.58% of adults report having serious thoughts of suicide, an increase of 664,000 people from last year’s dataset. The national rate of suicidal ideation among adults has increased every year since 2011-2012. This was a larger increase than seen in last year’s report and is a concerning trend to see going into the COVID-19 pandemic.
• A growing percentage of youth in the U.S. live with major depression. 15.08% of youth experienced a major depressive episode in the past year, a 1.24% increase from last year’s dataset. In the bottom-ranked states, up to 19% of youth ages 12-17 experienced major depression.
• Over 2.5 million youth in the U.S. have severe depression, and multiracial youth are at greatest risk. 10.6% of youth in the U.S. have severe major depression (depression that severely affects functioning). The rate of severe depression was highest among youth who identified as more than one race, at 14.5% (more than one in every seven multiracial youth).

     These are grim statistics.  We haven't gone through a war or a severe depressive economic state yet, but we have seen many loved ones die and have experienced isolation from everyone we love, we've seen  shortages of goods, we have had major racial unrest and political division, divorces, and major polarization.  We are bombarded by bad news daily, or by the minute if you are constantly on your phone or computer.  Many people have left their faith, while others have risked their lives to follow their faith.  Moral depravity seems to really have skyrocketed as well.  The entertainment industry has become extremely dark, brutally dark, at a time where we need light the most.  So with this decline of society, comes hoards of people with solutions.  Everyone from celebrities, to sports stars, to talk show hosts, to politicians, social media enthusiasts, and pastors are weighing in with their solutions to our weary hearts. Some solutions are so nonsensical that I find myself laughing to keep from crying.  The solutions expose the hearts of the people that give them, for this is where their hope and security lie.  

      If we look around it seems so dark and hopeless.  I have to admit I have felt hopeless at times.  I remember when I had had my first baby.  I was so excited to be a mother, I had gone through fertility treatments for years, only to be disappointed over and over again.  I thought it was never going to happen for me and Dudley.  But finally, we had a positive test!  It was too good to be true, and shortly thereafter an almost 10 pound baby boy was born!  One of the happiest days of my life!  I loved being a mom more than anything else, but I did not love being sleep deprived.   Cole was constantly hungry!  So we were up every 3 hours feeding him.  I have never been that tired in my life.  I kept thinking I can't survive this, I really can't.  So to gain some hope I would talk to other mothers, and they would all say, "Oh, it only gets harder!"   That one sentence would freak me out to no end.  I thought, "Please don't say that because I'm holding on by a thread right now."  I needed someone to give me hope, something to hold on to, something to get me through the sleepless nights.  It's the same now.  People keep saying, "It's only going to get worse," and I keep thinking where is the dang hope in that!!  As Christ followers, we are to be the light and hope infiltrating the darkness and despair.

     So, in response to that I have been studying the Bible more than I ever have before and surrounding myself with people full of light and hope, and I am finding a great Light in the middle of the darkness, no matter the circumstances.  That's not to say, I haven't cried a lot, but the tears have been cathartic and filled with hope and blessings abound.  

     God's word gives me great hope, not just for this time in history, but for the future of my kids, and their kids, and their kids' kids!  God has a plan.  He has had it all along and He tells us His plan in His word and through His Son, Jesus Christ.  If our hope is in Christ, we will never be ashamed!  We will never be overcome.  We will never even experience death.  Our future is bright, no matter what happens on this earth!  Turn off your phones and TVS and look up!  He is The Way, The Truth, The Life.  He is the answer to all our questions.  He is the healing balm to all our diseases, either this side of heaven or the other side.  Don't despair for God's got this!