One of the attacks from depression is rooted many times in the magnification of our situations. A certain feeling of despair comes on (sometimes for no apparent reason) and then each situation either helps to magnify the problem or sometimes relieve the depression. What this causes many times for people who struggle with depression is the mentality of "Well, if this one situation could change, everything would be better." Other times people default to recreation or a vacation as being the preeminent way to silence the screams of depression. These things are not necessarily bad, but the problem comes when a person uses these ways as the #1 way to get rid of depression. This leads many people to cowering away in times of difficulty and they constantly look at a "change of scenery" as being the ultimate answer.
After reading the chapter titled “God Unchanging” in J.I. Packer’s Knowing God, it was such a great insight to rest in the great consistency of God. Packer says that many people look at the situations of the Bible and see a disconnect between their situations and the issues of the modern day. Therefore, many people read the Bible as “distant literature”.
“The sense of remoteness is an illusion which springs from seeking the link between our situation and that of the various Bible characters in the wrong place…But the link between them and us is not found at that level. The link is God himself.”
The reality of God’s consistency in all times is meant to free us from being bound to a perceived hopelessness in a current situation. For instance, look at the person who has terrible abuses happen to them and bitterness sets in their mind. Depressive bouts start to overwhelm them and life seems unbearable. Many times the next words that come out are, “But nobody understands my situation! Nobody has been through the same thing as me.” Although this statement is true (because each person has a unique personal history) the stress of the situation would not be properly relieved even if someone had the same story as the hurt person. This type of mentality makes a god out of a situation. What I mean by this is that the person above believes the uniqueness of their situation negates any possibility of someone/Someone helping. This leads to despair and (in many cases) perpetual depression. The reason for so much of the despair in this situation is because the focus was wrong from the beginning.
When relationship with God is seen as the ultimate pursuit of man (even in the face of indescribable depression...which I have unfortunately been acquainted with) the answer to success in life helps us to properly inform our depressive state. What I mean by this is each Christian has the power to preach to their soul. Just like the psalmist asks his soul why it is so downcast and then TELLS himself to hope in God (Ps. 42:11). Why does he say this? It is because the TRUE REALITY of the situation is that God has provided hope in every situation. Therefore, it is not cruel to say this to yourself nor should it sound trite. The reason is because HE HAS provided hope!! This is some of the sweet truth of Rom. 5:1-5. God gives us hope in every situation because hope is not rooted in any situation, but HIM!! This is some of the great provision of our all loving God. He cares for us more than our mind could ever comprehend.
I pray that we would be people who see His consistent provision in all circumstances. I pray that we will persevere in preaching to our soul. I pray that God will cause us to know in deeper ways that His provision of relationship has freed us from the god called Situation.
Thoughts?
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3 comments:
I am very glad you have decided to do this. This is something that I have struggled with for so long. This dark cloud comes over me and I have no justifiable reason for the feeling. It is ugly and oppresive and I have not always known what to do about it.
Lately I have been spending much time in the Pentatuch and pondering the wilderness wanders. The sin that the Israelites committed seems the same that I commit in the midst of my 'funk.' Doubting that God has a desire to bring me through this. Not that He cannot but that He does not desire to. I know I should not despise where I am but I should always be aware that where I am is not where I am going and where I am going is actually Who I am with.
George Mueller had a saying that his first and greatest priority every day was to have his heart happy in the Lord.
I am very interested to hear what you have to say on this as I seem to have lived it my whole life.
And for the record...I do not like it.
Great post!
The thought "But nobody understands my situation" I think, is a line of thinking that also contributes to lack of community. It hinders oneself from being open and honest with others and therefore separates you all the more. It only aids in the depression by keeping you silent and separated.
It seems to be a prevalent idea among Christians today, that if you have not gone through the same struggles as someone else, you have nothing to offer them in way of counsel. For example, if one has a pretty "clean" background, they may shy away from counseling a new believer who is struggling with quilt from their “not so clean” past. I am not sure where this line of thinking snuck into our culture, but it is so far from the Truth. If you have the Word, you have the ability to counsel regardless if you can directly “relate” with the situation.
All that to say, this “nobody understands my situation” line of thinking and your warning against it, can help every believer. The fear that the one with depression will be thinking this, often keeps those of us who have not had a lot of dealings with depression from speaking Truth to those who are in the midst of the toughest times.
I hope this post encourages the ones who are dealing with depression to preach to their soul and ask others to speak Truth to them. I also hope it encourages those who are not experiencing hard times to speak up and know that the Truth is enough.
I doubt that this is enough. I doubt that your god is enough. I say this not to be arrogant or disrespectful to you and your god, but because your god used to be my god. And it didn't help. That focus didn't make it better. It actually made it worse. Because I reached out to the word and to the people who supposedly believed the word and there was a big nothingness that met me.
I think Amber may have been right in what she said...that "the fear that the one with depression will be thinking this often keeps those of us who have not had a lot of dealings with depression from speaking truth to those who are in the midst of the toughest times." It leaves those believers struggling with depression feeling truly "silent and separated."
I'm just saying that I think maybe your approach works for some people but not for others. As a former "believer" who had a serious bout with depression that led nowhere good, I can say it wasn't enough for me. I actually learned from that experience to rely not on god or his people but to rely on myself and my mind.
So what would you say to someone like me who says "it's not enough"???
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