As we enter a new season of learning, growth, and community, I want to speak to an issue that lies close to my heart and to the mission of our university: the mental, emotional, and spiritual well-being of every student entrusted to our care.
Our calling as a Christ-centered university extends far beyond academic excellence. We are committed to nurturing the whole person—mind, body, and spirit—because each of you are fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God.
In recent years, we have become increasingly aware of the profound challenges facing students across the nation. Anxiety, depression, loneliness, and stress are realities many are carrying silently. Let me say clearly: you are not alone, and your well-being matters deeply to us.
Today I want to encourage all of us to take a moment and think about mental and emotional wellness through the lens of the Bible.
In 1 Kings 19, we find Elijah, one of God’s prophets, struggling with anxiety and depression. History teaches us that these challenges are no respecter of person or position. Pastors, teachers, and Christian leaders of all types have struggled with mental health. My dad was one of the most deeply devoted Christ-followers I’ve ever known, yet he struggled with bouts of depression throughout decades of Christian ministry. Pastor Eric Geiger teaches some powerful lessons from the story of Elijah. Let me share an excerpt with you.
1. Godly people struggle with anxiety and depression.
Anxiety and depression impact godly people. The Bible says, “the power of the Lord was upon Elijah.” His faith was strong, and God was using him powerfully.
2. Anxiety and depression can plague us even in the midst of great times.
Elijah had just single-handedly gone against 400 prophets of Baal, showed those watching that God was real, and God sent a downpour to end a drought. Everything was going great, and yet a few verses later, Elijah is running for his life.
3. Anxiety and depression are complex because we are complex.
When the angel approached Elijah, the angel did not offer Elijah simple or trite answers for Elijah’s depression. There is no “Just get over it” or “Read the Bible more” in the passage. We are complex beings.
4. God meets us where we are.
In this Bible story, we see God speaking to Elijah in a gentle whisper. Some scholars have pointed out that wind and earthquakes are indications of His judgment or His miraculous power. He often speaks in acts of power, but when we are bruised and beaten, He comes to us in a gentle manner. He soothes us, comforts us.
5. We can still struggle after being in the very presence of God.
After the still small voice beautiful moment, Elijah says the same thing to God, “I am the only one left.” We know that God can speak our struggles away. He can heal in a moment fully and completely. God can remove anxiety just like He can heal cancer, but often He does not. Often healing is a process, and sometimes we are not healed in this world.
The weight of anxiety can leave us feeling overwhelmed. The burden of depression can steal our joy. The great preacher, Charles Spurgeon, described his battle with anxiety and depression this way: “You might as well fight with the mist as with this shapeless, undefinable, yet, all-beclouding hopelessness …Yet troubled the man is, even in the very depths of his spirit, it needs a heavenly hand to push it back … nothing short of this will chase away the nightmare of the soul.”
Ephesians 6 tells us this: “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.”
For this reason, we offer mental, emotional, and spiritual health resources and are expanding our support systems. This includes access to counseling services and providing training for faculty and staff to better recognize and respond to student needs. My prayer is that this campus will be a place where you not only grow intellectually, but also feel safe, supported, seen, and loved. Seeking help is not a sign of weakness; it is an act of courage and wisdom.
Scripture reminds us to “carry each other’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2), and it is our shared responsibility as the body of Christ to care for one another with compassion and humility.
If you are struggling, please reach out—whether to our counseling center, a campus pastor, a trusted professor, a friend, or to me. Your story matters, your life has purpose, and you have a community ready to walk alongside you.
May God grant each of us strength, peace, and hope as we continue this journey together.
Sincerely,
Steve D. Whitaker, Ph.D.
President