Cloud of Depression
January 27, 2010 by Standing on Truth
Filed under Christianity
My apologies to my faithful viewers who have been dissatisfied with my low number of posts so far this new year. I’m finding that I just do not have the time to post as frequently as some of the top-viewed blogs, and if I were to try to keep up a set number of posts per week (as I have done in the past), it will be to the great disappointment of my son, who understandably whines at me to play with him when I start to get tunnel-visioned in my writing. So I’ve been making a choice, in favor of motherhood, and to the detriment of my writing, but that’s ok. So hang with me. I will find a way to create more hours in the day, and will be back with more regular blog postings before long. Thank you for your support!
In the meantime, I would like to post an article that I wrote for a Caring Ministry at my church. It is on depression, and it is something that, I believe, could touch the heart of a lot of people, especially now that the excitement of Christmas has passed and the routine of a new year has set in.
The Christmas trees are down. Families and friends have flown home. The delicious food that we indulged in now sits, maybe not so comfortably, as a few extra pounds on our hips and stomach. We are returning to the daily grind of life, and for some of us, because of a growing depression, that daily grind feels like more than we can handle most days.
Maybe you are feeling a let-down after the highs of the holidays–a gloominess that you know from past experience is temporary and will be gone before long. This is quite common for all of us at one time or another. Maybe depression set in a year ago as the market plummeted and you are having trouble seeing past your financial circumstances to the promises of God. But maybe some of you are feeling a suffocating sadness, like a fog that has engulfed you and won’t lift–a sadness that has been around for a while, stealing your energy, motivation, and joy.
Depression, as defined by the Mayo Clinic, “is a medical illness that involves the mind and body. It affects how you think and behave and can cause a variety of emotional and physical problems.” It can be brought on by a variety of things-biological imbalances, an unhealthy thought-life, unrealistic expectations, difficult circumstances, unresolved anger, unconfessed sin, hormones, or physical factors such as a lack of sleep or nutritional deficiencies, to name a few. If you think you may be experiencing symptoms of depression, please click here to take a self-assessment quiz: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/depression/MH00103_D
So what do you do if you find yourself in that fog? Where can you turn for help? I hope to offer you some short-term help here, and then some long-term hope.
Short-term help:
If we are to rise above and conquer the depression that threatens to consume us, we must build our hope on something other than ourselves and the shifting wind of circumstances. As the well-known hymn exclaims, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.” Because of Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins and resurrection in victory over sin and death, we can take part in His life and His inheritance, now and eternally. If you do not have that assurance of new life and eternal hope, please click here, and begin today to build your hope on nothing less than Jesus.
Once we have that foundation sure and secure, there are some things we can begin doing today that will help to lift that cloud of depression.
We can change our thought-life. We’ve all heard the saying, “You are what you eat.” Well, the same applies to our minds. If we feed on negative thoughts, we will begin to feel negatively. Are you aware of the things you are telling yourself throughout the course of a day? Are you aware of how those negative thoughts are then followed by negative feelings? The world teaches us to trust our feelings most of all, and then all too often our feelings become our truth. We need to, instead, cement the Truth of God in our minds and let His Truth lead us, not our feelings. “For as he thinks within himself, so he is” (Proverbs 23:7a).
We can seek God’s perspective on the hurts that we have. Take your anger, guilt, unmet needs, and expectations to God and seek His perspective on it. He has something healing and instructive to say about all of it in His Word. Ask Him to help you see things as He does and then find Him to be your strength, comfort, and guide out of the pain.
We can renew our mind with Scripture. “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Romans 12:2). We are commanded to hide the Word of God in our hearts, so that God’s promises can be recalled at any given moment when our minds, our circumstances, or the enemy try to get us in a negative mindset. We are in a battle for our minds, and often times, during periods of depression, this is even more the case. “But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your mind and in your heart, so that you can do it” (Deuteronomy 30:14).
(Additional Scriptures to memorize and meditate on: Psalm 69:1-3; Proverbs 23:7a; John 14:27; Philippians 4:19; Philippians 4:6-8; Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 147:3; I Corinthians 1:3-4; I Peter 5:6-7; Isaiah 41:10; Isaiah 43:2; Isaiah 40:29; Romans 8:38-39)
We can discover, or re-discover, our identity in Christ. God’s Word is overflowing with promises and declarations about who we are as Christians. For example, we are accepted (John 1:12, Colossians 2:9-10), secure (Colossians 3:1-4, 2 Timothy 1:7), and significant (Ephesians 3:12, Philippians 4:13). Knowing that our depression is not our identity and that there is hope is essential.
We can immerse ourselves in studying God’s never-ending love for us. The Bible says that God loves us with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3) and that “perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). These truths go a long way in soothing our aching heart and healing us from the wounds of life.
We can develop an attitude of gratitude. It may take practice, or maybe beginning a gratitude journal, but a grateful heart is one of the best ways to see past your circumstances and see the blessings in every day. “Instead be filled with the Holy Spirit, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
We can look at our diets and activity levels throughout the day. Research shows that sugar, for example, in most people can cause the blues. And, although many of us have trouble finding the motivation to workout, exercise releases endorphins that help depression.
(Adapted in part from Victory Over Depression by Bob George)
Long-term hope:
The Bible tells us that God “comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God” ( 1 Corinthians 1:3-4). Many wise men and women, committed to comforting others through the troubles they have either experienced or watched others experience, have written books that can be of great instruction and consolation to you. Consider checking them out:
If you think that you may need more than the help this article offers you, please contact a caring biblical counselor in your area, so that someone can take you by the hand and walk you through some of the healing hope of God’s Word. Above all else, know that you are not alone. Even in the darkest hours of the night, Jesus is there with you. Resist the temptation by the enemy to devour you in discouragement and isolation. Let others know of your struggle and draw comfort from the body of Christ.
If you would like help locating a counselor in your area, click here.
