Written By Deborah Negron
December 20, 2017
When one has a belief in the Lord, there is a misconception by some. They assume one should be always upbeat and happy, smiling and chipper. Truth be told we all get the blues from time to time. The less sun light and the cold days make it hard for some to move about.
This is part of our makeup. Our human state has a duality about it. We are flesh and spirit. Our souls and spirits are always seeking for more, better, higher and greater goals. But life can hit us hard. Even for the believer, this can come and knock down our sense of well being.
It is more evident when one suffers from depression or anxiety.
The evidence in the duality of the human nature and the spirit is more clearly seen in the believer.
That is, we have a dual nature… we are flesh and when we are Christians we have a renewed spirit. We are born again in Christ. However we are not exempt from the trials of this life. We still face the issues of anxiety and doubt, depression and fear, loss and pain.
Depression will come, it’s part of life. Jesus said, that, in the world you will have tribulations.
Now, there are some whose depression is more than just the blues. For those who suffer from anxiety and depression this does not stop. Especially those with seasonal Depression, when the days are cold and the exposure to sun is more limited. It creates some chemical changes in the body. A loss of vitamin D can make a person feel down and sad. A lack of sunlight can cause a fatigue and tiredness that is uncommon.
We can learn to manage these issues, with help. We can Have time where we watch out diet, take supplements to counter the effects of the lack of sun in the winter. We can check with our health professional to have our levels checked. We can make sure vitamins, rest and proper nutrition is part of our daily life.
Then there are ways of combating these feeling with our faith. We can cling to the Lord more intently. We can learn spiritual practices that can benefit our lives in every area.
To Lift Up Our Spirit and Soul
1. We can pray and believe that God is present with us in our distress and ask the Holy Spirit of God to intervene.
2. We can read God’s word to comfort ourselves.
3. We can speak of our feelings with
those close to us. Being verbal can help let off steam and help us identify the issues that are pertinent.
4. We can speak to our own selves. Positive Self Talk is essential. We can take a bad situation and make it better by remembering who we are in Christ. We are not defined by our circumstances. We are capable of changing our minds. Speaking life.
We can know that the Lord identifies with us. From time to time these experiences will overwhelm us. I am sure Jesus felt depression as he was in The Garden of Gethsemane praying. Even more, he felt abandoned when he came to find his disciples had fallen asleep. I’m sure he felt that sense of despair when he passed by some towns wanting to heal people yet they were totally in unbelief.
I am sure he suffered some anxiety as he was being hurt and hung on tree. Suffering and anxiety are part of this human experience.
We live in a fallen world and these happenings are part of such a world.
The difference for the Christian is that we can cry out to God. I believe that David suffered from depression. Who wouldn’t? He was chosen King yet he had to run for his life from King Saul. His own son later tried to kill him and take over his throne. And what about when he sinned and took another man’s wife, Bathsheba. Talk about being depressed. yeah David learned to run to God. He learned to bow down and ask God for help and forgiveness He learn to surrender every area of his life. The Good, The Bad and The Ugly… but to have someone say, get over it is foolish and insensitive. Many people don’t understand. They are not well informed and unfortunately they can offend others because of it.
In the book of Psalms we find many instances where the psalmist clung to God in despair. Believe me he had seen some tough days. Psalm 37, Psalm 73, Psalm 121, Psam 51:10
In 1 Samuel 30 verse 6 we read,
And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.
We too can encourage ourselvesves. We can have a positive self talk session with ourselves. We can knowingly speak life in the most difficult of times. This outlook will help us in these moments of a depressed state.
We can pray out loud and say,
When anxiety gets the better of me…
Lord let me cry out to you…
when I feel distressed, let me run to you.
When the worries of this life overtake me
let me remember that you are with me
and will not feel me.
Life and Faith By Deb 
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