Being admitted to his dream school as a graduate student, Mingjie, who had held his breath for over three years, suddenly felt lost. By the second semester of his senior year, he felt seriously meaningless. Diagnosed with depression in his first year of graduate school, Mingjie began contemplating the meaning of life. Eventually, through the words of God, he emerged from this swamp.
From childhood, Mingjie was a good child in the eyes of his parents. Although he didn’t score good marks in the college entrance examination, he was admitted to his desired graduate school. Growing up attending church services with his parents, he kept participanting in Sunday school and student fellowship, strictly demanding of himself in morals and behavior. However, as he grew, Mingjie quietly set up idols for himself, with values deviating from this direction. Starting in high school, as academic pressure increased and gatherings decreased, academics became the driving force of his life. After successfully being admitted to graduate school, Mingjie felt aimless and lost, with a sense of meaninglessness.
He paused to ponder the meaning of his diligent study, realizing that his heart couldn't find satisfaction in it, and the foundation of his idols gradually collapsed.
Upon entering graduate school, he still had to exert the same level of effort to graduate smoothly. However, with a lack of motivation, he struggled to adapt to the learning style of graduate school, feeling his classmates were more excellent than him. He gradually stopped going to the laboratory, becoming afraid of meeting people. He spent every day watching TV shows and playing games until he fell asleep with a heavy mind, turning his life upside down.
Mingjie was diagnosed with depression at the school hospital and applied to take a year off to go home and readjust. He also sought a way out by continuing to attend gatherings, praying, reading, and transcribing scriptures. He sought psychological counseling, reading psychology books and biographies of famous people to motivate himself. Following his mother’s advice, he even stayed with a pastor who had experience in marriage, family, and parenting education for a period of time.
At the beginning of the new academic year, on the advice of the pastor, Mingjie applied to return to school, with his mother accompanying him. However, just after a month, his life returned to the state of watching TV dramas and playing games. Mingjie's mother was a volunteer pastor at the hometown church, and fellow church workers said there was a need for service. In prayer, she said to God, "I will return to serve God and leave my son here, so please take care of my son."
Miraculously, after his mother's prayer, Mingjie, during a Bible study, opened his eyes to the word of God, realizing that his life had been turned upside down. Before this, he focused on doing things, such as doing well in his studies, applying for graduate school, and writing papers. After studying the word of God, he began to think about who he was instead of focusing on what he had done." Studying Genesis, Mingjie understood that God, with love, hoped that people would respond to his love and love each other. He knew that he was a precious child of God and a new creation in Christ, renewing his strength. He began his mornings with spiritual exercises, deleted videos and games from his computer, and went to the laboratory to progress his paper. Eventually, he completed his thesis and graduated smoothly. God saved him from a serious car accident, letting him enter into marriage and serve in a Christian organization.
Today, there are increasingly more people with mental health problems. As a witness, Mingjie feels that what people need but lack is a loving relationship with God and people. He confesses that people can be healed when they receive God's unconditional love. For those who have experienced mental health problems, what they need is understanding, tolerance, and acceptance, not unhelpful comments or blame.
- Translated by Abigail Wu
