Many see depression as something a Christian should not experience. If depression is discussed, it is spoken of in whispers. Because of religious and cultural taboos, many people do not understand that depression is a real disease.
Why is depression seen as a no-no? What can we do to overcome our depression or to help someone that is?
God Is No Respector of Persons - Neither Is Depression
Depression does not discriminate. Many important people throughout history have encountered it. The Bible contains an honest historical account of men and women heroes with “warts and all.” People making bad decisions fill the Bible.
The Bible lets us see people who are not at their mental and emotional best. It thus offers hope to all who struggle in a similar way. The Bible translations I'm most familiar with never use the word "depression." However, the symptoms described leave me thinking great men and women of the Bible battled depression.
Depression is not always the sign of a broken relationship with God. Instead, the depression of Elijah, Job, Paul, and others demonstrated their humanity. They dealt with the same emotional burdens we carry.
A combination of good habits, understanding, and use of the Bible can help any of us survive the heavy burden of depression.
Two Important Things
- If you are fighting depression, God has not abandoned you. Your emotional and mental battle does not mean you are lost or backslidden. Though at times you may feel that way.
- You will have friends, family members, employees, or co-workers who encounter depression. Read and learn all you can to understand what they are dealing with. Depression is real. It debilitates as happened with Elijah. Depression can also kill. Instead of making it harder for your acquaintance you be like a flashlight on a dark night.
Because of my own encounters with depression I wrote Light in a Dark Place - Encountering Depression.
Over 1/3 of Light in a Dark Place - Encountering Depression is devoted to helping discover tools that are much needed to encounter and help those that suffer from the darkness of depression.
Find Light in a Dark Place on sale at my website right now.
You can also read a bit more on this subject in my blog about depression.
Encountering Pandemic Inspired Depression You Need to Turn Off the Toxic
You may have missed this! Monday - Friday I am teaching through the book of Acts. I've spent over 40 years studying this incredible book of the Bible. The videos can be seen on my Youtube Channel or you can read the content broken into blogs. The links to some of those blogs are below.
I have also published the second part of my blogs on the Book of Acts:
Various Ways of Looking at Acts (Continued) Blog #5
The church in the book of Acts is shown as a spiritual entity. At their best, the Christians in Acts were indwelt, empowered, and guided by the Holy Spirit.
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