Coping With the Crisis by Noah Barker, Faith Yeley & Xander Wallace

By Noah Barker:

With this new pandemic going around, we are forced to spend time with people and see faces we previously didn’t have to. You might be happy about that, or you might not. Like, who are these strange creatures living in your dwelling areas? The best word I can come up with to describe them is family. So, what do we do with all this time we now have with our family? I’m sure I’m not the only one that is tense about this whole quarantine thing. What are we supposed to do with all this tension? Pick up your siblings and hurl them across the room? Although that’s a great idea and is sure to end well, I don’t think that’s what we should be doing. 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” We should be praying to God and asking him to relieve us of the urge to launch siblings across the room every now and then (saying with obvious sarcasm). It is important that we keep our eyes on God during this crisis, and to remember that we are not the only ones in the house that want this to be over. We should focus on being kind to our family and loving them as best we can.

By Faith Yeley:

As a teenager in this pandemic, I am fortunate to have a close family that cares for each other and regularly spends time together. Besides staying home and practicing social distancing, ultimately my lifestyle has not changed. I am grateful to have the Lord in my life everyday, but especially during this time.  It is imperative to remain connected with God to maintain a peaceful lifestyle and mindset. Finding yourself overwhelmed with anxiety has become frequent in humanity, but with Jesus our fear and uneasiness vanishes. The Lord transforms our uncertainty and tension into peacefulness and tranquility. Coping with our new reality, we are all facing new difficulties and challenges in everyday life. Being away from friends and loved ones is the most challenging transition of all, but it teaches us to cherish time spent together. While it can be effortless to let your fear control you, it is essential to pray and let Him guide you in all aspects of your life.

When in need of reassurance that brighter days are around the corner, look to verse Philippians 4:6-7, which proclaims, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” This verse is a superb reminder that He is in control, and trust in Him, for you have a purpose.

By Xander Wallace:

My emotions throughout this experience have been all over the place. I started out excited that school was out for two weeks but that quickly changed when I found out it would be like this the rest of the year. I have had plenty of time to catch up on sleep and alone time. One of the ways I have tapped into my faith is just through listening to online sermons from my dad or people like Pastor Nate. I have also been listening to a lot of Christian music before I go to bed. These things have helped me have patience with my little brothers and parents. I have also been very anxious to get out of the house and get back to playing the sports I love. I haven’t had the chance to feel lonely because I always have one of my five siblings to hangout with. I have kept two Bible verses about patience close to my heart.  The bible verse that I have had to keep close to my heart to remind me to be patient with my family is 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 that says, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.” The second verse that I have kept close to my heart to remind me to be patient in this waiting process is Romans 12:12 that says, “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”