I first had symptoms of depression when I was 13 years old. I can remember the actual day that a heavy weight settled on my mind, and it\u2019s been with me to some degree since then. I\u2019ve learned to deal with depression with the help of qualified physicians, caring Christian counselors, and supportive friends. Depression has taught me a great deal about compassion and extending grace.<\/p>\n
That being said, here are a few things that Christians with depression might not tell you.<\/p>\n
At times during my childhood, I heard adult talking about depression in a heavily negative connotation. The message I heard was that depression was a sign of spiritual weakness, and people who had depression didn\u2019t have enough faith.<\/p>\n
Frankly, that\u2019s garbage<\/u><\/strong>. And it\u2019s very damaging.<\/p>\n Men of God, like King David, experienced some very dark times. We have window into King David\u2019s soul in beautiful passages like Psalm 23, 31, and 31.<\/p>\n The stigma can come from a simple lack of knowledge about mental health, or an unrealistic understanding of human frailty.<\/p>\n The more I learned about my illness, the more equipped I was to handle it. The most helpful information came from others who had the same symptoms \u2013 and knowing that I\u2019m not in this alone, men and women who understand brain chemistry, and those who withhold judgement when I needed to talk.<\/p>\n A pastor friend put it like this \u2013 our bodies are vulnerable to disease and injury.\u00a0 Why would our brains be any different?\u00a0 Telling a Christian with depression to \u201csnap out of it\u201d is like telling a person with diabetes to \u201cstop being diabetic.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Hearing that set me free.<\/em><\/p>\n Depression, anxiety, and loneliness are difficult and unpleasant. In the worst of times, depression, anxiety, and loneliness are compounded by traumatic experiences, burn-out, or life circumstances. Sometimes, I simply don\u2019t have the strength to \u201csnap out of it.\u201d<\/p>\n In the darkest times, drastic measures are needed. At the end of March, 2015, I found myself in the worst possible place mentally. I drove myself to the ER with suicidal idealizations and ended up in the hospital for a full week. Me? A Christian missionary with an advanced degree? <\/em>\u00a0Yes.<\/p>\n If your friend or family member\u2019s actions are a call for help, treat that seriousl<\/u>y \u2013 like you would an allergic reaction to a bee sting or a heart attack. Get medical attention.\u00a0 Face it, deal with it. Don\u2019t ignore it.<\/p>\n I want to talk about what I\u2019m deal with. My emotions feel like a roller coaster, I don\u2019t understand my widely fluctuating emotions, and I hate that don\u2019t have energy to do what I want to.<\/p>\n What I need most of all?\u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n Please withhold judgement. \u00a0Instead, please listen. <\/em>A great deal of healing and growth has come through caring individuals simply being willing to listen.<\/p>\n Possible online resources for help<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.aplaceofhopechristiancounseling.com<\/a><\/p>\n http:\/\/www.christianhelpfordepression.org?gclid=COnuvuWQx9ECFd6KswodfroDvw<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" What Christians with depression\u00a0 might not tell you I first had symptoms of depression when I was 13 years old. I can remember the actual day that a heavy weight settled on my mind, and it\u2019s been with me to some degree since then. I\u2019ve learned to deal with depression with the help of qualified … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25747,"featured_media":11694,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[3,9,10,18],"tags":[6980,6979,6982,6981],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11649"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25747"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11649"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11649\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11694"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11649"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11649"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dustoffthebible.com\/Blog-archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11649"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n“Depression is often misunderstood, and I sometimes don\u2019t know what\u2019s happening in my own brain.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n“During the darkest times, I can be feeling so discouraged and stuck in the greasy pit of depression that any relief from the pain is welcomed.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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\n“I want to talk about what I\u2019m experiencing \u2013 but I don\u2019t want platitudes or well-intentioned advice that glosses over the issues.”<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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