Monday, December 12, 2016

Liberty University College of Osteopathic Medicine (LUCOM) Department of Behavioral Health Chair, Linda Mintle, Ph.D., spoke during convocation on Nov. 30, at the Center for Medical and Health Sciences.

Trusting God through the Storm of Medical School

Dr. Mintle shared her personal testimony of facing adversity, stress, and life storms while growing up. She was the youngest of three in a family that was raised and spent most of their time in church and she discussed facing trials growing up that affected her entire family. At the age of 10, her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Her family came together, prayed through the storm that they were facing, and her mother ended up being healed from cancer in a miraculous way that doctors couldn’t explain.

While she was still in high school, her middle brother was coming home from work on his motorcycle, was hit by a car, and in a coma for eight days. Her family came together like they had before and prayed through the storm. Her brother woke from coma and to this day has had no damage as a result of the accident.

A year later, her oldest brother was drafted, right out of college, into the Vietnam War where he led a platoon and was involved in an area of heavy active war. Her family prayed for his protection as he made it through. Several years later, she returned home from visiting friends and found her dad was sitting down with an army officer next to him. Her brother, who had been on a seven-week special mission, was on the last leg of his tour when his plane blew up. She was handed a bloody dog tag and wallet that once belonged to her brother. “This was a life storm that didn’t have a happy ending,” said Dr. Mintle. “I was confused and experiencing different feelings and felt abandoned by God.” She ultimately changed majors from law to psychology at the University of Michigan. “I was confused and thought that I might as well study about my feelings and get credit for it,” she said. Dr. Mintle spent the next 11 years in school, but didn’t find the answers in psychology to the deep questions such as, “why do things like this happen?”

She found her answers in Scripture. A place she admits she should have been looking all along because the Bible talks about trials and tribulations and ultimately learning to trust God. “We are not promised a life without tears until we get to Heaven,” she said.

Dr. Mintle provided student-doctors with a way to trust God through the storms of life. A philosophy learned from pilots on how to handle storms that has helped her through her own storms. Lesson number one, calm down. When pilots are flying through a storm, they need to remain calm and not let their emotions take over. Lesson two, always check your instruments. When going through a storm, individuals tend to get so overwhelmed by their emotional state, that their thoughts get away from them. Lesson three, communicate with the tower. As a pilot flies through a storm, they cannot see where they are going, but the tower can see the full picture and will guide them. Dr. Mintle urged students that God was their strong tower and that He will guide and direct them. Lesson four, comply with what you are told. Pilots need to listen to instructions and comply. It is the only way they will get through a storm. Lesson five, climb higher. Pilots that are flying through a storm will be told to climb higher in order to get above the storm. Dr. Mintle encouraged students to look above the storm and to keep their focus on God because He is good and always there for them.

Dr. Mintle is a well-known author of 20 books, including her latest one entitled, We Need to Talk. She has been featured on several broadcasting networks, such as ABC Family and CBN, as the resident expert in mental health.