Unintended Consequences
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention did a survey of 7,705 high school students during the pandemic measures enacted in 2021. It was alarming to discover that 44% reported feeling “persistently sad and hopeless.” Even more troubling was the finding that 26% of girls surveyed had contemplated suicide during the year.
These unintended consequences of the pandemic isolation measures prompted the American Academy of Pediatrics in October 2021, to declare a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health.
It is the hope of FaithSearch that youth and adults in stress would turn to God and the Bible. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus made a promise to believers: “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27, NASB).
The apostle Paul also counseled the Philippian believers:
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6-7, NIV
Source: World Magazine, May 6, 2022, p. 15.
