Depression - Sound Bite
My mantra for the year has been "and the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it." John 1:5. I've seen it's application more than a hundred times this year, most recently in Honduras. I saw the light in the dark places. I saw it in the body of Christ serving and being Jesus to the least of these. I saw it in an orphanage that left me aching to the bone for children. I saw it when I saw precious Christian Honduran women telling Bible stories and singing about the love of Jesus with the children. Their precious bodies, vessels carrying Christ, light, to little ones. "Christ in us, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27. Sparrow Mission teams visit there often, but the Lord allowed me see that He is there, in those ladies every day. Light. In. The. Darkness.
Why was I born here, and they were born there? I used to have a lot of questions like this. When I was in depression, I felt guilty because I'd seen people with severe handicap far happier than me. The guilt added to my darkness. And when I had post-partum depression I felt guilty because I had beautiful healthy babies that I had longed for for years. Depression should not have guilt as a partner.
What I have been learning over the past 12 years, is that we all need the light equally. The circumstances don't determine our need for hope. Our need for redemption determines our need for hope. Jesus Christ is our hope, the light. In our weakness He is strong!
I won't go on and on. There is a lot of talk about depression today, because we've seen a celebrity who brought so much humor to others' take his life in such a tragic way this week. I will say this, WHEN IT FEELS THAT DARK, IT IS THAT DARK. For some, words can bring light, healing light. For others, like myself, I needed words and I needed a doctor. I needed the hope of Christ found in the living Word of God ( Hebrews 4:12) and I needed medical help.
At first I felt ashamed to even walk into the waiting room of a psychiatrist. The fear and shame of being there piled on to the darkness and created anxiety! Depression should not have shame as a partner. Guilt and shame are lies of the enemy. Does a diabetic have guilt and shame because they need insulin? We are talking about health not a choice.
That is why I am sharing. It's too complex a topic to cover here...genetic, childhood, current trauma... But it must be said, there is no shame in depression. It is an illness, and all the broken things of this world are waiting for heaven...even the creation itself moans (Romans 8). David, a man after God's own heart wrote of depression throughout the Psalms. There is great comfort in the Psalms.
If you are depressed, there is help. I won't be able to convince you, but I can testify of His grace in healing me through His Word as well as medication. And if you are the one loving on someone with depression, you can't fix it. But you can come along side and love, pray, wait, and search out options for help. I've been alongside loved ones in depression, and I know that side of it as well. It hurts.
Depression is a team effort, and we need to watch for it, learn about it, and love through it. Let's be there for each other. Let's remove the stigma for good and link arms. I see it happening! Glory to God! God will use the stories surrendered to Him to help and give hope to others. I only write because I know the terrain, and I know the Savior, and I know that "the darkness has not overcome it (the light)!" I'm going to press send before thinking this over because I know I am supposed to share hope.
Why was I born here, and they were born there? I used to have a lot of questions like this. When I was in depression, I felt guilty because I'd seen people with severe handicap far happier than me. The guilt added to my darkness. And when I had post-partum depression I felt guilty because I had beautiful healthy babies that I had longed for for years. Depression should not have guilt as a partner.
What I have been learning over the past 12 years, is that we all need the light equally. The circumstances don't determine our need for hope. Our need for redemption determines our need for hope. Jesus Christ is our hope, the light. In our weakness He is strong!
I won't go on and on. There is a lot of talk about depression today, because we've seen a celebrity who brought so much humor to others' take his life in such a tragic way this week. I will say this, WHEN IT FEELS THAT DARK, IT IS THAT DARK. For some, words can bring light, healing light. For others, like myself, I needed words and I needed a doctor. I needed the hope of Christ found in the living Word of God ( Hebrews 4:12) and I needed medical help.
At first I felt ashamed to even walk into the waiting room of a psychiatrist. The fear and shame of being there piled on to the darkness and created anxiety! Depression should not have shame as a partner. Guilt and shame are lies of the enemy. Does a diabetic have guilt and shame because they need insulin? We are talking about health not a choice.
That is why I am sharing. It's too complex a topic to cover here...genetic, childhood, current trauma... But it must be said, there is no shame in depression. It is an illness, and all the broken things of this world are waiting for heaven...even the creation itself moans (Romans 8). David, a man after God's own heart wrote of depression throughout the Psalms. There is great comfort in the Psalms.
If you are depressed, there is help. I won't be able to convince you, but I can testify of His grace in healing me through His Word as well as medication. And if you are the one loving on someone with depression, you can't fix it. But you can come along side and love, pray, wait, and search out options for help. I've been alongside loved ones in depression, and I know that side of it as well. It hurts.
Depression is a team effort, and we need to watch for it, learn about it, and love through it. Let's be there for each other. Let's remove the stigma for good and link arms. I see it happening! Glory to God! God will use the stories surrendered to Him to help and give hope to others. I only write because I know the terrain, and I know the Savior, and I know that "the darkness has not overcome it (the light)!" I'm going to press send before thinking this over because I know I am supposed to share hope.
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