 Depression
Depression makes you question the purpose of your life. Before it comes to stay you may have been happy to exist on very temporary goals and purposes, such as anticipating your next pay rise, buying a new pair of shoes or going out for dinner. However, if depression is your companion these things just aren’t good enough reasons to get out of bed. The power of depression is in its ability to strip you of being able to enjoy anything. So maybe it’s time to have a completely different reason to live. Children grow up thinking that the universe revolves around what they want. Unfortunately, so do many adults. Life is about them, about what makes them happy, what they find satisfying, and so on. Depression takes all that away and leaves a choice. What will you live for? Living for yourself isn’t the right answer. You have to find a reason outside yourself to be able to face living a life with depression.
Let me suggest that life is not about you, and it’s not about me either. A hard message to take, I know. None of us likes letting go of the reins. But recognising that our lives are not our own can come as a relief as well, especially for those struggling with depression. Letting go of the reins means that life does not depend on you. God made this world and he made us to enjoy him and the world. This means that someone who is depressed can choose to live for God rather than themselves. From my own experience I have found this to be the most reliable way to cope with depression. So what does God want you to do? Well to summarise, God wants you to love Him and to love your neighbour as yourself. You do this by trying to make a small difference to someone each day. It might only be a very small act of kindness. It might be telling someone that you care for them. But at least then you have a reason to get out of bed in the morning. Jesus Christ came to heal the broken hearted. He will help you live despite your depression. If you would like to learn more about how to cope with depression then listen to the message found at www.godsgap.net/depression. The Rev |
