Thursday, August 18, 2011

Coping with Depression . . .Living with the Hurt

There are so many things that can cause depression; some that you can change, and some that you can't. I'm sure that to the depressed, they would like to see something like do this or do that, and poof! the depression will go away. I am sorry to report, no such thing exists. There is the day to day, minute to minute and second to second dealing with depression that must take place. You have to sometimes, by an act of the will, get up and do something, anything to remind yourself that you are still alive. Let me preface what I am about to say with this: I do not have all of the answers, but the answers that I have are yours for the taking.

Do not for any reason put yourself into a cell. Let me explain what I am talking about, even your living room can become a prison if you let your pain paralyze you. Get out of the house, and do so on a regular basis. You need to know that the world is still going on, and you can't sit still and rehearse the things that are grieving you over and over again, especially if somebody that you loved and trusted hurt you. Reliving bad situations, keeps the pain and hurt fresh in your mind, and though the whole world has gone on, you remain at that same point in time. I'm not asking you to deny or ignore that you hurt, but I am telling you, that you must, for your own sanity still participate in life.

Now, it occurs to me since writing that last paragraph, that some of you reading this, may indeed be in a cell to which someone else has the key. So what, can I say in that case. You too, can still participate in life, and should. Dear ones, you could even be in prison for something that you had nothing to do with, or for something you had too much to do with. As long as there is a heart beating in your chest, life is not over. You can do so much for the kingdom of God, even in a prison cell. Paul wrote the bulk of the New Testament, and much of it was written from prison. Do you ever wonder how many Roman prison guards will be in heaven, because the were chained to Paul? They were literally a captive audience to a preacher of the gospel. You can encourage missionaries all over the globe with a pen and some paper, you can pray night and day for the concerns of thousands of souls and work on your faith in God. If you think that the family of God has enough prayer warriors, you are mistaken. Listen to me, you can put your armor on and go to battle for the Lord, even in a prison cell.

Listen to me, all of you, God is not done with you yet, and He hasn't thrown in the towel; so don't you dare check out on Him. Lean on Christ for strength, let the Lord fight for you. He sent soldiers home in droves, so that everyone would understand that He was the One Who did the fighting, and the One who gave the victory. That very same God, fights for you day and night, and He never sleeps and never slumbers. Dear ones, it is more than okay to hurt, but it is not okay to quit, not now: not ever. Listen to the loving invitation of the Savior "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Loved ones, it is absolutely imperative that you keep on! Bless you all.

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