Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Depression

I was always told growing up that Jesus always knew what we were going through. He knew what it was like to be rejected, to be disappointed, to be alone, to be tempted, even to fail (to a degree). I always wondered though if he experienced the same type of depression as I did and do. I mean, I know he knows far more stress than I do, he sweat blood in Gethsemane before he was crucified, He knows what stress is like. But my question is does he know was depression is like??

I know that depression is often described as a mental thing we just need to get over, especially as christians. I've often heard people confront believers that have depression because they didn't think that they could have it if they truly loved the LORD. What a bunch of crap. Depression is something the Enemy uses in his never ending quest to separate us from God as much as possible. Because he knows that if he can create separation between us and the Father, or Christ, or the Spirit for that matter, that he will have an easier time of influencing us. He's going to be able to convince us that what we're doing isn't that bad, or that nothing matters. (as often is the feeling for the depressed) He's going to do everything to tell us that our life is insignificant and that we should just give up. It's not as if the "great" saints of the past didn't deal with this, I mean Elijah wanted to die, he prayed the Lord take his life in the wilderness just hours after he won a great victory over the false priests and their god. It's safe to say that Peter probably suffered from a bought of depression after he denied Christ three times during the trials. But once again, what about christ.

I was told when I was younger that Christ feels what we feel, that He knows all our experiences and that he's been there. I look through scripture and I see where he faces everything, but I don't always see that one thing specifically. I mean I have yet to find a passage that talks about Christ being in a situation where he could have slipped sexually with a women (though some have linked this to the women at the well and the cultural ties to that day but I don't make that connection so easily) but maybe while on the cross christ would have suffered through some depression. I mean, the wrath of God was thrown on him, he was then forsaken by the one person we are all promised won't forsake us. Maybe he does understand. Maybe he knew exactly what it felt like, when his close friend died, (Lazarus), or when his followers deserted him leaving him only with the twelve, or when he was betrayed by one of the few that stuck with him, or when the people who days earlier had cried out to him as their messiah were now crying for him to die the most horrible death of that day.

Maybe he felt alone, and hated, and weak, and like he failed. Maybe he suffered depression before and during the cross. But, I guarantee he didn't have that type of thought after the resurrection. In fact, I'm willing to be that that whole event was what kept him going at times. Knowing that He was getting the privilege of bringing supreme glory to the father kept him going, maybe knowing that the resurrection was going to bring about an end to death as we knew it, and bring about new life like we couldn't even imagine. Maybe that kept him going. Maybe looking to the father kept him going, looking to what the Father was going to do. He kept looking up. Even in his prayer at the garden he says if this is your will then let it be done. He focused on the father and the father's will and He was able to let go of his own feeling for it.

Looking forward, looking up, looking at the light, looking to the Father is going to get us through anything we go through. Any temptation to believe we have nothing left and that we should just give up and die, the father will bring us out of. he's got our best in mind, he's going to protect us, he's going to preserve us, he's going to bless us. He is not going to let depression rule our lives. We can rise out of it. As someone whose gone through it before, and has recently battled it again I know this to be truth. God is wonderful counselor, as much as he is healer, and savior. He's willing to counsel you through depression as he's done me. Look to his word for encouragement.

I hope this helps someone out there. Thinking that Jesus really did go through some depression helped me to realize that handing it over to him is practical and useful.

I had this grand vision of what this particular blog would be like, and It's not quite there, IDK how to make it better but this is what came out of my heart today.




The silver lining looks better and better when we keep finding more and more of it. The picture it creates is enough to keep us moving along sometimes. Hold onto it.

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