Unleashed for Hope
Unleashed for Hope
Written by Marsha Dillard, junior marketing major
Last night at community chapel, Point Biblical studies freshman, Alex Allen, took the stage with spoken word. As the lights dimmed, he paced back and forth across the stage, looking intently into each student’s eyes. He reminded us what it must feel like to be someone who feels like their voice is unheard or they are forgotten. How they feel like the only way to get any sort of attention is by revolting against society. How as Christians we often avoid those 
people, but how in fact we are called to run to them. He could connect with all the students, reminding us that, as Christians, sometimes we must steer off the main road to make a “difference. We are not called to be agreeable; we are called to make noise for the voiceless.
As he left the stage, there was an uproar of applause, and he was followed by Dr. Gregory Moffatt, professor of psychology.
“Pain is an asset”, two words you would never put into a sentence together. Pain represents the physical or emotional suffering we feel. An asset is something that could be useful or beneficial to someone. The two words that seem like opposites, but last night at chapel Dr. Moffatt taught us differently. He taught us that pain is fundamental in the beautiful journey of life. We cannot experience life without experiencing pain.
Dr. Moffatt told us a story of how his son once got a thorn in his finger. For a moment, he wanted to protect his son from the pain, 
then he was, in a way, thankful for it. This was not going to be the last painful experience his son would go through, and he could not protect him from every painful thing he would endure. As he continued to walk with his son through the woods, Dr. Moffatt would move branches ensuring they would not hit his son. When his son would think they were lost, Dr. Moffatt always knew where they were going. That is how God tends to us. He guides us and protects us, but sometimes we are forced to go through something painful. Like Dr. Moffatt caring for his son, through any painful journey, God never leaves us alone.
That is the message we were left with from chapel. Pain is inevitable, but it is a part of the journey. Even though sometimes we feel lost and afraid, God is always there.