By Dr. Jessica Johnson
Guest Column
Toward the end of September, I was especially looking forward to the appreciation services for my pastor, Overseer S.D. Carter, of Vision of Breath with Life Ministries in Columbus, Ohio. September is always a busy time of the year for me due to the fall semester at Ohio State University’s Lima campus when incoming freshmen are bursting with excitement to begin their college journey. My English composition courses usually max out, and as I humorously tell my students, my grading marathon begins after they submit their first major essay assignment. The pastoral appreciation services always take place at the right time, as I need spiritual encouragement to not get burned out with a demanding workload and personal matters that also require my detailed attention.
This year’s appreciation theme was “My Soul Says Yes,” and our teachings on it were facilitated by Apostle Martin L. Griffin Sr., who leads Equipping Ministries Fellowship International headquartered in Cleveland. Apostle Griffin just returned to the country from a mission trip in Malaysia. At 74, he is still, as we like to say in church, “on fire for the Lord!” On his first night of teaching, Apostle Griffin focused on the 23rd Psalm, one of the most well-known passages of Scripture. He placed a special emphasis on verse two, which says that God makes us to “lie down in green pastures,” meaning that God actually has to make us “rest.”
I have read this verse countless times, but it resonated differently because in this season of my life I am starting to realize just how important rest is for my soul, the center of my mental well-being. If my soul is uneasy, that is, if I’m troubled or anxious about a lot of things, then it’s difficult to receive what God wants to pour into me through ministry, and it’s also hard to function well in my essential day-to-day responsibilities.
In reflecting more on Apostle Griffin’s teaching and how it relates to the busyness of our everyday lives, I thought about how many people in our country are just not in a good place emotionally right now. You could basically say their souls are on edge. I saw an example of this in an article recently published in The New Republic titled “America the Traumatized.” It was written by Ana Marie Cox, and in the beginning of her piece, Cox discusses a social media trend that I was not familiar with, people sharing their trauma responses on TikTok in a trend called TraumaTok. Cox describes this as people leaving “a digital trail about what’s bothering (them),” which ranges from battling challenging “weekdays” to forgetfulness.
A study published by the American Psychological Association last year highlighted what could be termed a “digital trail” of stress. The APA surveyed 3,192 adults, and 27% of them reported struggling to function “most days.” For the younger adults in the study the stress levels were much higher, with 46% of those under 35 stating they could not make it through most day-to-day activities. For those ages 35-44, 42% said they were overly stressed. Most of their worries were due to fears regarding inflation and how they were going to pay for basic needs of food and housing.
During these uncertain times, it doesn’t take much for worry and apprehension to inch into our thoughts; yet, I’m reminded of another soul-comforting scripture in Matthew 6:25 where Christ instructs us to “take no thought” about our lives, that is, do not worry because our heavenly Father knows what we need. Apostle Griffin did not include this scripture in his teaching, but it ties in with what he said about “faith being the currency” of God’s Kingdom.
Much of what I have read regarding tension about daily living and making ends meet is related to what experts call post-pandemic stress. One of the major spiritual lessons that the COVID-19 pandemic taught me was that I was going to have to put my faith in God’s provision to not live in fear. I was determined not to let fear cripple my soul, and this is the spiritual reassurance that I will continue to lean on.
Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at The Ohio State University-Lima. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter @JjSmojc. Her opinion does not necessarily represent the views of The Lima News or its owner, AIM Media.
