About
I was raised in the Arkansas Ozarks, near Eureka Springs, by a Christian family that never had a lot of anything other than love. We always had plenty of love. In fact we had so much love that we shared it with the people next door, the people down the road, the people in town, and the people in the next town over. At times we even had occasion to share it with people in the next county over and beyond. This was a love that was deeply rooted in the Word of God. My prayer is to share that love through my writings, based on truths from the Word of God. Thank you
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Depression - Illness or gift?
When people discover that I suffer from depression, they quite often see a bright smile on my face, and say things like, "You don't look depressed." Hmmmmm, Interesting! Is there really someone who knows what depression looks like? Another thing they often ask is, "What is causing your depression?" Hmmmmm, I think if I knew the answer to that, I could find a way to end those feelings. Then there are also the well meaning eternal optimists who simply say, "Get over it." Obviously, that's exactly what I want to do, but are you going to tell me how?
There seems to be different levels of depression. Some depressed episodes do have catalysts, and are usually short-lived. These are definitely the most common forms of depression, which occur in most everyone's life. Illness, divorce, a loved one's death, and financial problems, are prime examples of occasions where depression occurs, but are normally remediated with the passing of time.
Others of us live our lives in a perpetual state of depression. Have you ever considered how a man like Albert Einstein could be so brilliant, while at the same time there are many people whose intelligence is more comparable to the fictitious Forrest Gump? We all have different minds and different mindsets. Perhaps it is genetics that causes this, because most people who suffer major depression are diagnosed as having a chemical imbalance.
I suffer from major depression, yet I have a smile that I love to share with the world. Both are family traits. Would I change either or both if I were able? Most people that suffer from major depression would instinctively say yes, but I say NO! Herein lies the key to the victory that God has given me over depression. God has blessed me by allowing me to have a chemical imbalance that tends to cause me to see the sadness of this world we live in. Let me repeat that; God has blessed me by allowing me to have a chemical imbalance that tends to cause me to see the sadness of this world we live in. In changing my view towards this illness from one of detriment to one of thankfulness I have gained victory over it, although I still suffer.
When sorrows are shared with me, I become empathetic towards those who are saddened. I truly feel their sorrow within me. There is a constant sadness within me, regardless of whether it's my own sorrow, or that of anothers, that burdens me. But I no longer view that as a bad thing, because Jesus wants us to be burdened for others. However, some may say that Jesus doesn't want us to carry our own burdens. Yet, when Jesus was praying in the Garden, didn't He ask God to let his cup pass Him by if it were possible?. I don't know if these words I'm sharing will be beneficial to others or not, but I pray that they will.
In conclusion, I have to say that we are all different. Depression is a formidable opponent. Some say it is incurable, and I agree. But in Hebrews 13:5, Paul teaches us to be content in such as we have, and in Ephesians 5:20 he teaches us to always be thankful to God. I know I'm different, and it's not easy being me, but I'm thankful for who I am. Be blessed in the Lord.
There seems to be different levels of depression. Some depressed episodes do have catalysts, and are usually short-lived. These are definitely the most common forms of depression, which occur in most everyone's life. Illness, divorce, a loved one's death, and financial problems, are prime examples of occasions where depression occurs, but are normally remediated with the passing of time.
Others of us live our lives in a perpetual state of depression. Have you ever considered how a man like Albert Einstein could be so brilliant, while at the same time there are many people whose intelligence is more comparable to the fictitious Forrest Gump? We all have different minds and different mindsets. Perhaps it is genetics that causes this, because most people who suffer major depression are diagnosed as having a chemical imbalance.
I suffer from major depression, yet I have a smile that I love to share with the world. Both are family traits. Would I change either or both if I were able? Most people that suffer from major depression would instinctively say yes, but I say NO! Herein lies the key to the victory that God has given me over depression. God has blessed me by allowing me to have a chemical imbalance that tends to cause me to see the sadness of this world we live in. Let me repeat that; God has blessed me by allowing me to have a chemical imbalance that tends to cause me to see the sadness of this world we live in. In changing my view towards this illness from one of detriment to one of thankfulness I have gained victory over it, although I still suffer.
When sorrows are shared with me, I become empathetic towards those who are saddened. I truly feel their sorrow within me. There is a constant sadness within me, regardless of whether it's my own sorrow, or that of anothers, that burdens me. But I no longer view that as a bad thing, because Jesus wants us to be burdened for others. However, some may say that Jesus doesn't want us to carry our own burdens. Yet, when Jesus was praying in the Garden, didn't He ask God to let his cup pass Him by if it were possible?. I don't know if these words I'm sharing will be beneficial to others or not, but I pray that they will.
In conclusion, I have to say that we are all different. Depression is a formidable opponent. Some say it is incurable, and I agree. But in Hebrews 13:5, Paul teaches us to be content in such as we have, and in Ephesians 5:20 he teaches us to always be thankful to God. I know I'm different, and it's not easy being me, but I'm thankful for who I am. Be blessed in the Lord.
Yes Jack, You nailed it! I have major depression, and have been on disability for the last 10 years. I just can't function like "normal" people. It's (as you know) just devastating. But...like you said, there is something to it. It has drawn me to closer reliance on God. Rarely when things are great do we even give Him lip service. The person that suffers from major depression...suffers for their Savior. If they are Christians that is. If not, what do they do with this perpetual pain? Some commit suicide, and most abuse drugs and alcohol. And I have abused drugs and alcohol to ease the pain of depression. I have also had suicidal thoughts. I have been clean for quite some time, but it took me a long time to get there. I just trust that the Lord is in control, and not me. Sometimes I just yell at him in prayer, others times I just weep, and thank Him for the disease since I have been able to help others that suffer from the same illness. I rarely smile, but sometimes I could laugh. It just hurts too much to smile. Thank God you can. Depression is the most misunderstood illness on the planet. You can't see it , touch it, or even diagnose it too well, and it's a mystery to the Doctors as well. You told me something that I will never forget. "It's a disease without a cure." I don't consider myself an Einstein, but I am very creative, and have written 4 Poetry Books expressing my frustrations with the disease in one poem, and glorifying God in the next. Most of the frustration comes from well meaning people. They just don't get it, and offer advice that should never have left their lips. Especially Christians, when they throw scripture down your throat. Of course God's word is true, that is not the issue. Most times we just need people to love us where we are at. Not give unthoughtful and hurtful solutions to something we have no control over. As far as Paul goes, no, He gave no advice on depression, and neither did the Lord. I truly believe that Paul's thorn could have been depression, and God allowed it. However, I do have the solution to major depression. Jesus said: "My Grace is sufficient for thee."
Ecclesiastes 1:18 For with much wisdom comes much sorrow; the more knowledge the more grief.
It would seem that you are in good company. I came to realize quite some time ago, that many great men and women down through history, including the likes of Churchill and Lincoln, suffered from depression.
Churchill made frequent references to his depression, which he called his "black dog".
"The message we want to portray is that it is possible to recover from mental illness and overcome it and be successful - because Churchill is an example of someone who was able to do that."
In fact, some believe that it was more complex than that - that Sir Winston's achievements were because of his bipolar - not in spite of it. In a sparkling essay in his book Black Dog, Kafka's Mice, and Other Phenomena of the Human Mind, psychiatrist and historian Anthony Storr wrote:
"Had he been a stable and equable man, he could never have inspired the nation. In 1940, when all the odds were against Britain, a leader of sober judgment might well have concluded that we were finished."
Abraham Lincoln fought clinical depression all his life, and if he were alive today, his condition would be treated as a "character issue"—that is, as a political liability. His condition was indeed a character issue: it gave him the tools to save the nation.