I’m willing to guess that everyone on the planet has experienced life off kilter in some way this year. Wow! 2020! A year we won’t easily forget. Life right now is hard for so many, feeling messy and downright immobilizing. Besides a pandemic and racial unrest, people are still suffering in other ways. All of our previous illnesses, financial and relationship challenges, just to name a few, still exist.
Some may feel bewildered because, though we acknowledge that God knows and sees everything, our faith may wax and wane in these uncertain times. To us, so much seems abnormal, and we wonder how long, o Lord?! We may also wonder why He seems silent and distant. Our hearts don’t often know what to do with this. Our hearts know the truth, but our heads might not agree. During this season, let’s rely on and encourage each other. Together we can cry out to God in our distress. Praise God that He is our defense. His justice and righteousness prevails through it all. As a campus minister, I have the privilege of leading the way of trust for our students, while paying attention to my own soul.
There’s much confusion and unrest in the world today. What do we do? What do we believe? Who do we listen to? The father of lies loves chaos. This reality behooves us to focus on what’s true. We can trust the Holy Spirit, God’s voice of truth. As we listen closely, we will hear what’s needed at any given time.
As campus ministers, life changed drastically this year. Prior to the pandemic, our ministry primarily happened on campus, in person! All of that came to a screeching halt with schools caught in a tailspin of readjusting. We also had to pray and move quickly in caring for ourselves and our students. Some have weathered this storm more easily than others. We have been on the front line offering hope and encouragement. We’ve had to get real creative. Look out Zoom, here we come!!
Photo credit: Tim Gouw on Pexels.com.
We’ve prayed a lot, seeking the Father’s heart for next steps in ministry. During the summer, we’ve had large group meetings with people from all around the country. Through these meetings, we experienced worship and teachings on various topics.
We have also established “5 Rhythms of Online Ministry.” These include:
1) Online leader meetings,
2) Online small groups,
3) Online large groups,
4) Online outreach, and
5) Online prayer.
Online leader meetings provide care to our students as we encourage them to care for others. Online small groups include studying Scripture together, listening to God in community, and responding to His invitation. Online large group is a collective time of teaching and worship. With online outreach, we’ve created systems for reaching and following up with students. Social media, especially Instagram, has become an ally.
We are thankful for our resource library during these transitions. Our commitment remains in establishing witnessing communities with a new virtual twist. We are establishing online prayer meetings acknowledging our need for God’s rightful place in our lives and in this world.
The fall is here, and it is different. Schools are struggling in determining the best way for students’ safe return. Young people are excited about returning to school; their response to safety during a pandemic is challenged. We support safety first. We are grateful for our faculty who have continually shifted with the tide of educating during a pandemic. Our prayers are with them as they navigate creative ways to teach in the classroom and online. I wonder how many times they feel pushed to the limit.
Racial unrest, coupled with a pandemic, wreaks havoc with our feelings, which are running high and wide! These troubles invite a time for personal examination. How are we doing? All people are faced with their perceptions of racial inequality in America. And then there is the political race for the presidency. Oh my! So much to think and pray about. I hope that we won’t lose sight of God in the midst of pain and confusion. I hope that we will still see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.
As we seek and trust the Lord in the struggle, may we extend kindness to one another. Indeed, the world will know we are Christians by our love. When times are hard, we may have to extend tough love, that love that’s tenacious in battle. Tough love is Christ’s love. As we yield to Him, we can rest in His ability to love others through us. I pray for your strength in the Lord, for the encouragement only He can bring.
Skip McDonald is an author, speaker, nurse and resource specialist for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship—a college campus ministry. Skip has a passion for wholistic living in body, soul and spirit. She champions mental and emotional health, notably in the faith community. As a psychiatric nurse and Mental Health First Aid Instructor, she brings a wealth of experience. She is currently writing several mental health Bible studies, looking at Scripture through the lens of mental and emotional health. She is the founder of Integrative Grace, LLC, a discipleship ministry and Freedomsize Worship Fitness, LLC.
Skip is the author of “Christ, My Life-The Great Exchange,” “The Garden of My Heart” and “And She Lived Happily Ever After.” She resides in Smyrna, GA serving with InterVarsity in the southeast. She can be contacted through skipmcdonald.org.
