Spirtual Advice
Some of you may not be ready for this section. If you are anything like I was just a few short years ago, you may be wondering how in the world God can help you with your depression.
I used to think to myself all the time, "If God loves me like the Bible says, why doesn't he cure my depression and why is he allowing me to suffer like this?"
Sound familiar?
As I started getting serious about Christianity and studying the Bible I learned that God doesn't cause depression, but he allows us to go through it because he wants us to seek him/internal peace.
I started to realize that the reason I was depressed was because of these negative thoughts I have about myself. These thoughts weren't put into my head by God, they were put into my head by all the negative people that ridiculed me at a very young age.
We aren't born depressed. It's not a God-given attribute. It's a LEARNED condition that we pickup through a series of negative situations/people in our lives. Or in some cases, there is a chemical imbalance in the brain.
I listened and absorbed the teasing at a very early age and began to believe what people said about me. Therefore I started to feel I was less of a person and began to shelter myself from people. I was always afraid of what they'd think of me.
Thank God For Your Pain
My depression/anxiety got so bad that I started to get an upset/nervous stomach all the time. I used to fear that I would never be able to calm myself down and stop worrying.
One Sunday I decided to go to church to see if I could get some comfort. (I had NOT been a regular church-goer). That very Sunday the pastor just happened to be talking about how we should praise God and thank him for our troubles.
Huh?
That made no sense to me whatsoever.
He went on to talk about how God does not like to see us in pain, but He allows us to go through it because he's trying to get our attention and teach us a lesson. Instead of crying and letting the devil get us down, we should praise him for what we're going through and know it will all work out in the end.
Well of course that sounds all well and good but when you are going through something, you want immediate relief. You don't want to hear that you should sit and jump for joy because you're depressed.
But I was so desperate for help and inner peace that I'd do anything. So that afternoon I went home and did just that. I started praying to God and thanking him for what I was going through and asked him for help and guidance.
I was very honest in my prayer and told God that it made no sense to thank him for my depression, but I would try anything. I made a decision right then and there to start counting my blessings instead of focusing having a pity party for myself.
Over time, I did start feeling better. It wasn't immediate by any means and I had to remain patient. But each and every passing day began to get easier.
I began keeping a gratitude journal and starting embracing what I did like about my life. After about 4 months of continuous gratitude journaling my self esteem began to improve, I was able to relax more and began to enjoy life more than I ever had before.
But what was great is during those 4 months, I started noticing how each day started to get better in some way. Even if it was as small as "I noticed I didn't worry as much today" or "I really enjoyed talking to my friend on the phone today." My mind was getting re-programmed and I was learning to focus on the positive.
Count Your Blessings
When you start to become thankful for all that you are and all that happens to you, it changes your whole outlook on life. You start to appreciate things you've never even thought of before and suddenly your attitude changes.
Don't get me wrong. It's a process and it doesn't happen overnight. It took me a while and to be honest I still have to work on this everyday.
Understand that God loves and approves of you - and that's all that really matters. People are always going to say things about you. There are always going to be negative people, relationships and situations that bring you down. But when you start having faith and believing God has a plan for your life, you realize that what you're going through is all part of his big plan and you will eventually get through it.
Sure, we're humans and we are all going to have our down, however when you have faith those "down periods" don't last very long and you'll begin thanking him for these times because it just means God is trying to work through you and teach you a lesson.
I'm not saying you should just accept being depressed and never have any hope of getting better. I'm saying that God is allowing you to go through this for a reason. He didn't cause it, but he wants you to learn from it. When you feel sad, get down on your knees and thank Him for what you're going through and ask Him for guidance. He's listening and will respond.
Perhaps he's trying to get you to give up a bad habit you've always had. Maybe you're in a relationship you know in your heart you need to get out of. No matter what it is, God is trying to get your attention. I guarantee you'll look back on these days and realize this period of your life had great purpose and taught you a huge lesson.
Just know this... God will NEVER put more on you than you can bear. Isn't that awesome?
Bible Verses For Depression
The Bible has quite a few verses that can help you deal with depression. I encourage you to meditate on the following...
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."
- Proverbs 3:5-6
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life"
- John 3:16
Let His spirit dwell in your richly, causing you to have a song in your heart, an attitude of thanksgiving and a submissive spirit --- Ephesians. 5:19-21
Realize that all things do work together for good to them that love the Lord
- Romans 8:28
My spirituality has really helped fight my depression. I know many of you may be skeptics, especially if you've never studied the Bible. I was the biggest Bible skeptic just a few short years ago, but I got to the point where I couldn't talk to anyone so I tried talking to God. It worked and I'll continue talking and praying until the day I die.
Just seek Him with all your heart. God will give you the greatest comfort that no man on earth can match.