Help make this world a better place right now. Take action to contribute to the world in whatever ways you sense God leading you to do so. Pray for direction about how best to use your natural talents and spiritual gifts serve God and other people in specific and meaningful ways. Help make your church a loving community, and work for justice in the world.

Go ahead and play. Realize that God wants you to enjoy life during the good times. Take full advantage of opportunities to have fun and laugh. Ask God to give you joy that isn’t dependent on changing circumstances.

Look for mercy at work around you. Notice the many acts of mercy God is doing in your life and the lives of other people you know. Thank Him for them.

Think about the Resurrection. Regularly remind yourself of this incredible historical reality. Understand that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available to you as a believer every day, if you choose to trust God with every part of your life and invite Him to work through you.

Give others hope. Share the Gospel message with other people as often as you can, to point them to spiritual hope. Back up your witness by helping to meet their physical needs (for food, shelter, medicine, etc.) when you can. Spread kindness indiscriminately in Jesus’ name, so others can experience His goodness.

Notice people who others may overlook. Ask God to help you be aware of people who might be overlooked by others, but who He wants you to recognize and encourage. Consider such people as babies, the elderly, the disabled, and prisoners. Let them know that they’re not forgotten. Reach out to them to share God’s love in meaningful ways, so they’ll come to know His goodness in their lives.

View time from the right perspective. Keep the past, present, and future in a healthy perspective. Remember how God has demonstrated His goodness in the past, embrace His work in the present, and prepare for the better world that’s coming in the future.

Adapted from When Answers Aren’t Enough: Experiencing God as Good When Life Isn’t, copyright 2008 by Matt Rogers. Published by Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Mich., www.zondervan.com. 
Matt Rogers is copastor of New Life Christian Fellowship at Virginia Tech. 800 students call it home.