Faith and gratitude: Navigating the uncertainty of the academic year ahead
On this 271st day of 2023, I reflect on all we have gained and lost this year. Living in California, the changes in seasons aren’t as marked as in other parts of the nation. However, the temperature change, the seasonal allergies, and the invitation for flu shots remind us that we are transitioning. In our academic health-science environment, the beginning of the academic year is also another portend of change with its requisite moments of expectancy, apprehension, and uncertainty. At times like this, we may spend more time anxious about what may happen instead of processing our insecurity through the lens of what we know or what has happened.
The first thing to remember is that we have made it through the past nine months of 2023 — together. We have encountered challenges, hardships, disappointments, and varying losses. Yet, we are still here. A little banged up, bruised, broken but not defeated. So, how can we navigate this disquiet as we transition into the last quarter of the fiscal year?
We find a clue from the first verse of Hebrews 11:1 — “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” The writer of the letter Hebrews invites us to move forward, trusting in God’s faithfulness regardless of what our fears conjure for the future.
Is it that simple? Live by faith? Yes and no. Walking around the campuses of LLUH, we see many reminders of the faith of our founders, students, alums, educators, and benefactors over the past 118 years. Our presence here now as employees and students is in response to the prayers and audacious dreams of those who came before us in the face of impossible odds. Our insecurities may have us doubting the possibility of faith in our present circumstances, yet we are invited to trust God as they did.
The late poet laureate, Dr. Maya Angelou, said, “Let gratitude be the pillow upon which you kneel to say your nightly prayer. And let faith be the bridge you build to overcome evil and welcome good.” As we move around our campuses, provide clinical care and services, and train health professionals, let’s operate from grateful faith.
According to research, cultivating thankfulness can enhance happiness, self-worth, and sleep quality, all while lowering stress, despair, and anxiety. Please take a moment to engage in a gratitude practice using these two prompts: consider three people or experiences you are thankful for despite what you have been through this year, or list five things you’re grateful for that your senses allow you to experience. Keep the gratitude going by sending that person a text, email, or note of appreciation here.
We will spend the next 52 weeks in our weekly devotionals learning from the Bible how to thrive spiritually and emotionally in the liminal or in-between spaces. Yes, the future may be uncertain, and we have much to be thankful for.
—Dilys Brooks, PhD, BCC, is campus chaplain for Loma Linda University.
