Are you feeling anxious or stressed? Understandable! Amid nations at war, prices rising, rhetoric intensifying, and basic healthcare increasingly difficulty to provide and obtain, you are not alone in feeling apprehensive. The American psychological association latest Stress in America™ survey revealed that 62% of U.S. adults reported significant anxiety in their lives.
How can you and I better respond to the relentless uncertainty that weighs upon our lives? Moreover, how can we effectively guide those who seek our counsel in managing their own similar compelling mental health concerns?
Explore with me for a moment the ancient wisdom composed by the prophet Isaiah and documented in chapter 58. In particular, let’s consider verses 9-10:
The prophet Isaiah begins by selecting three representative behaviors to purge: the “yoke” of oppression against others, the “pointing of the finger” of scornful interaction, and “malicious talk” of lying – which are all three rooted in self-centeredness. Instead, Isaiah implores us to shift our attention toward healthy humility and self-expenditure on behalf of people who hungry and afflicted. The prophet promises that when we replace focusing on our own superiority with working towards the welfare of others, then our own gloom will be transformed into sunrise and midday brightness, symbolizing the natural fruits of lives oriented toward justice, peace, and human welfare.
John Kakorio, graduate of INMED’s Master’s Degree in International Health, experienced this powerful transformation. The son of refugees who fled the Angola Civil War, Dr. John returned to his home country to serve as an eye doctor. The pressures Dr. John experienced were relentless: hundreds of patients each day, insufficient money for eye surgery supplies, weeks of travel to isolated communities of blind people.
Dr. John wrote to me about a sixty-four-year-old man who lifted his spirits. “He began losing his sight in the 1990s. I examined him and noticed how complicated his case was,” described Dr. John with a shudder. “The man was accompanied by his wife whom he last saw in 2001 and his children whom he had never seen before. The day before his surgery, I prayed about his case, and asked God to give him sight again so that he could see his children, even if it was just for a minute because that’s what he really wanted.”
“The day following, I couldn’t believe the miracles of God when I removed the eyepatch,” exclaimed John Kakorio. “His smile, his words, his reaction after seeing his children for the very first time touched my heart so deeply. He couldn’t believe that one day he was ever going to see again. Professor, not every case is so successful, but I rejoice with each victory and keep going forward.”
This week, as you and I recognize and contemplate our own stresses, may we, like Dr. John, decidedly turn our attention and efforts toward serving one another.