When No One is There for You

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Depression, I believe is always lurking around the corner for most people.

We hide behind our own personal pleasures to distract us from what lies ahead. I have heard a friend of mine once say “I could never be in depression because I am too happy.” If “being happy” is the only thing keeping you from depression, then what do you think will happen when you reach a part of your life where happiness is depleted?

I feel like many people think that to stay out of depression we need something in our lives to fix it, like a loved one or focusing on things that make us happy. I know this all too well.

I think it’s easy to get a twisted perspective about happiness, especially in this American culture we live in. We are accepted into our culture if we are self-focused and prideful. We feel like we are invincible and then reality hits us in the face.

The truth is, life will be hard at times and there is a big possibility that when life hits you and you don’t have your happiness meter filled up, that no one will be there to pick you up.

So what do we do? We realize that we have been looking to worldly things to pick us up and not looking to God. He has never left us or forsaken us. Even though these dark times hurt they are so beneficial. They force us to have total reliance on God and no one else. People are so scared of hardships in their life. They avoid them at all costs, but the truth is they will come and it will be hard, so how will we deal with it?

It comes down to a choice.

These dark times in our life will inevitably come and when they do we can choose to deal with them the right way or let them rule over us.

The biggest truth that I could give you is that we do not need happiness to live a God glorifying life. We can always choose to have joy in the fact that we do not have to rely on our own happiness to live, but that we can find satisfaction in Christ. If we look at life with this kind of perspective we change our lifestyle. We see things differently. We should become selfless to our desires and focus on God’s desires. This way of thinking has been so instrumentally to my walk with God I hope that this can be an encouragement to anyone who is dealing with depression or a dark spot in their life. Depressing times will come, they will be hard, but we still have a choice. The choice to rely on God for our joy gets easier and easier the closer you get to Him.

Dear Lord, we want to make the choice to rely on You. Help us to grab on to the joy that only You can give. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

The Root of Depression

Psalm 143:10 (NIV))

Teach me to do your will,

    for you are my God;

may your good Spirit

    lead me on level ground.

Sue* was a good girl. Though her father rarely darkened the church doors, her mother made sure she and her brothers attended. She accepted Jesus as a teenager during a church revival and after graduation married her high school sweetheart. They soon entered full-time Christian ministry.

But somewhere along the way, Sue began to change. Her love for church dwindled, and her new friends were bad influences. She began experimenting with sinful behaviors which accelerated her downhill slide. Eventually Sue walked out on her family. If you were to see her today, her sadness is evident even though she smiles and pretends to enjoy her new lifestyle.

David once ventured into forbidden areas and discovered what Charlie did. Sin never delivers what it promises (II Samuel 11). He attempted to enjoy life by hiding lies, sexual immorality and murder but received only depression and God's discipline (II Samuel 12). He learned obedience was more profitable. Teach me to do your will, for you are my God (Psalm 143:10 NLT).

When it becomes evident we're depressed, we should immediately examine our relationship with God to determine if sinful behaviors are causing it. Disobedience can be a major cause of a believer's depression. Anytime we choose to walk away from God in any area or willingly defy his commands, an emotional struggle develops. If not quickly settled through confession, the emotional war will be lost to depression. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go, keeps us longer than we want to stay and costs us more than we're willing to pay. If you're struggling with depression, determine if there are any areas of rebellion in your life that need confessing.

Dear Lord, we pray that You would reveal any areas of rebellion in our live. Help us turn them over to You so we can be the people You want us to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

*Not her real name.

Make a Difference in This World

John 15:27 (NIV)

And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

What do we do when depression take over our minds? How do we react when anxiety springs up on us? Where do we go to when all of our energy seems to have evaporated into thin air? Where do we turn when adversity becomes our constant companion?

In the 14th century, construction began on the western tower of the St. Waburga Church in Veurne, Belgium. It was going to be a glorious tower, and many were looking forward to seeing its completion. But it never came to be. Due to limited funds, the work was halted and the tower was never completed.

These people could commiserate with those of us whose strength has left us.

Although unfinished however, the tower was far from being useless! Its caves, deep in the ground, were ideal for storing ammunition and protecting Veurne residents from the bombings of World War II, and even today it has found its usefulness. A modern art museum is now hosted there. Even though incomplete, the tower still has its place in society!

I have discovered that age has nothing to do with usefulness. I have met elderly people who are still so full of vigor that they continue to be shining examples of how God had transformed their lives. Not only do they do the unthinkable, like that 90 year-old woman who jumped from a plane (with a parachute naturally!) for the first time in her life, but they also testify about Jesus through their actions, by helping the dejected, by encouraging the hopeless and by visiting the abandoned.

An older lady discovered she had cancer. It didn’t stop her from becoming a missionary in China. “If I have to die, it doesn’t matter where it will occur. I want to die in a place where I can be useful and where I can testify.”

I have also met young people, however, who acted like they were elderly. They have no ambition, no motivation. Maybe it’s because they hadn’t discovered what the apostle Paul had found out:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:35-39 NIV)

Doesn’t this truth fill us with adrenaline? Doesn’t this encourage us to carry this banner of love throughout our neighborhood’s? How many around us are hungering for hope? Why can’t we be the ones to satisfy that hunger?

Yes, we may face ridicule, even rejection, but still such consequences are meager compared to the witness of Christians in oppressed countries. Their testimony can cost them their very lives, yet they still go one, undeterred. With God’s love spurring them to action, they bring hope to the hopeless, encouragement to the depressed, and friendship to those who are friendless.

All of those who don’t hesitate to testify have discovered a simple truth: “For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Cor 12:10 NIV)

No matter how incomplete our own “tower” stands, we can make a difference! We don’t have to feel dejected and useless! It’s time to stand up, for we truly are “more than conquerors through him who loved” you.

Are you willing to make a difference in this world?

Dear Lord, We pray that today will be the day we will make a difference in our world. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.