Young Adults Are Increasingly Struggling With Anxiety and Depression - The Sad Result Of Taking God Out Of Culture
According to the new report, "On Edge: Understanding and Preventing Young Adults’ Mental Health Challenges”, from Making Caring Common (MCC), a project of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, 36% of young adults in the U.S. said they struggle with anxiety, and 29% with depression. The most common driver is the lack of meaning and purpose, cited by nearly 58% of the survey respondents. Half of young adults reported "not knowing what to do with my life," which contributed to their mental health struggles, while financial concerns and pressure to achieve were also named as culprits, affecting 56% and 51% of young adults, respectively.
Sadly, this is what happens when you take God out of a culture. What started in the Sixties – a turning away from our God-centered foundation to the ‘Me Generation’ – has now come fully home to roost. Without the knowledge of God, many of our young people have grown up in a world of relative truth, only to find a reality without a solid foundation. They can’t live up to what culture expects of them, and there’s no certainty to count on. Relative truth changes. People change and let them down. Only in God, the Creator of life, the one true Truth, can we find real and true meaning and purpose. Only in the everlasting and unconditional love of God can our souls truly be at peace, and know the meaning and purpose of our life.
Our country was founded and built on a general belief in God, but we have taken him out. And now we’re seeing the disastrous results – loneliness, meaninglessness, hopelessness, anger, chaos, discord and all kinds of unrest. That’s what happens to a culture when they turn their back on God.
The knowledge of God is the firm foundation upon which anyone can find real meaning and purpose. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash (Matthew 7:24-27).
If you have said there is no God because that’s what culture expected from you, just going along with the crowd, and now you find yourself wondering what on earth is wrong; or, if you’ve wondered about God but haven’t taken the time to get to know him, please take time to do it now. With an open mind and, most importantly, and open heart, see what the Bible says about God, about you, about life and about truth. A good place to start is the book of John. John was very close to Jesus and provides a first-hand account of what he witnessed and learned. If you don’t have a Bible, here is a link to the book online – The Book of John.
Come to me, Jesus said, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light (Matthew 11:28-30).
