I found a quote recently which says, “If you lose your job, your marriage and your mind all in the same week, try to lose your mind first, because then the other stuff won’t matter that much.” As I look around at what we are losing these days it causes me to ask, have we lost our minds?

Do we mind that as Americans we are losing industry to other countries due to cheaper building and labor costs abroad and questionable government trade policies at home? Does it bother us that in spite of medical advances (and higher costs) Mississippians particularly are losing their health? We are the most obese people in the United States. According to a study by Purdue University, 65 percent of Americans regularly lose sleep due to stress. We are losing the ability or desire to love; the divorce rate is near 50 percent. Our children are losing their childhood. Today’s 12-year-old is more likely to drink, abuse drugs, have sex or commit suicide than earlier generations. We are losing respect for and trust in politicians, professors, parents and pastors. Just about everyone seems to be losing their morals. We lost God, prayer and the Bible from our public institutions long ago.

In the New Testament, Paul described what happens when people lose God: “Since they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, he gave them over to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done” (Romans 1:28). In light of what is revealed in the Bible, it’s no surprise that Americans are behaving in bizarre and destructive ways.

Regardless of what else you have lost, don’t lose your faith in God. About 2,600 years ago, God issued this invitation to a morally lost Israel, “Come now, let us reason together…Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18). Don’t like the direction you are headed — turn back to God and reason with Him. Don’t like your relatives — discuss it with God. Don’t like religion — tell God about it, He may agree with you (read all of Isaiah 1).

The promise is that if we acknowledge God and trust Him and obey His Word, we can be morally cleansed and regain our right mind. Then we’ll stop losing things that matter.

Del Loy is planting pastors of Crosspoint Church in Natchez.