“Don’t allow everyone appearance down on you due to the fact you’re younger, however set an instance for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.” (1 Timothy four:12 – NIV)

In my January 20, 20221 Christ lively gaining knowledge of blog put up, I wrote about numerous ways I provide my college students possibilities to integrate their religion inside the publications I teach at Palm seashore Atlantic college. Most of the examples I stated an extra credit score venture I provide the week before lessons to nursing college students who may be in my ideas of standard, organic and Biochemistry direction.

The scholars study a piece of writing that seemed in the Wall street journal in 2018, entitled “A Sisterhood of Nurses” that follows the lives of six Philippine women who came to the U.S. Over forty years in the past to pursue careers in nursing. I ask college students to write down a one-web page precis of the thing after which to pick out at least one biblical precept that the six girls evidenced, helping their chosen precept with a scriptural reference. In the end, they’re to write approximately themselves and their personal religion journey.

I am much less interested in analyzing a rehash of a newspaper column than i’m in getting to know approximately my college students’ abilities to suppose significantly and tease out scriptural concepts from the tale. But, i’m most interested in studying approximately my college students’ religion trips and the way Palm seaside Atlantic university in the end have become a part of their tales.

GenZers love to write down approximately themselves. They’re defined as “eager to proportion their ideas and evaluations with others. They want to participate in essential conversations, each for my part and professionally and anticipate others to take their concerns critically regardless of their age or experience.” no longer pretty, all of my students are unafraid to open up and end up inclined, sharing the metanarratives in their lives that consist of not just the banal details of where they’re from and in which they went to highschool however also the tragedies, heartbreaks, and difficult own family conditions that have fashioned them into the young people they are and the destiny nurses they’ll in the end come to be.

I have been amassing these essays now for four years. My college students have emerge as part of a larger research project as I observe them alongside their career paths. No matter the fact that almost all of my students are inexperienced persons, and teenagers, they have a lot to mention approximately lifestyles. It’s time to let them educate us.

So, within the words of my own students, here are 4 truths that experiences have taught them approximately life.

Happiness comes from serving others

One in all my male nursing students whose decision to attend PBA changed into largely based totally on our “offer of faith-primarily based lessons,” wrote, “My interest in nursing is the reality that i’m able to make a person’s day better, keep someone’s life or maybe just consolation a person in a horrifying scenario. I discovered that my happiness comes from making a person’s day just that lots higher or even seeing a grin on their face.” many of us have heard something similar preached from the pulpit: in case you need to get out of your funk, then go and do some thing first-class for someone else. We’re stressed for happiness. Genuine pleasure is to begin with observed when a person surrenders his lifestyles to Christ. After that, the Christian will be maximum satisfied whilst serving others sacrificially. Every other student wrote, “I want to expose Christ’s love via my carrier,” echoing the words of Jesus: “The finest amongst you may be your servant,” (Matthew 23:11 NIV).

Developing up underneath tough occasions isn’t an excuse to play the victim card

There are numerous examples of people inside the Bible who, despite being raised in either dysfunctional households or enduring surprising tragedies, refused to permit their circumstances to become their identity. Jacob ran for his life from his brother Esau. Joseph’s jealous brothers tried to murder him by way of throwing him down a nicely. Naomi’s husband and two sons died suddenly. We do now not get to determine wherein or to whom we are born nor to dictate the instances we are facing in early youth.

Several of my college students have come from broken homes where they skilled abuse, or their mother and father went thru a bitter divorce resulting in them being raised in single-determine homes. Notwithstanding, they’ve determined no longer to emerge as victims. One wrote, “i am a first-era university scholar in my circle of relatives. Developing up, my mother became a single mother with kids. I discovered the way to earn things if I wanted them. Additionally, never to take anything with no consideration. Most importantly, I learned the way to grind to get to where I need to head.” any other wrote, “while i used to be little my mother went to nursing school no matter being a single parent. Which changed into already difficult. Her ardour and care toward others stimulated me to do the identical.” those two young girls recognized that no matter their much less-than-perfect instances, God is sovereign of their lives, and they have chosen to be victors in preference to victims.

God uses tragedy to pressure us to our reason

In Isaiah bankruptcy 61, the Lord promises Israel to “hire unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they is probably called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he is probably glorified,” (Isaiah 61:three KJV).