Overcoming Depression
Hello there! Yesterday’s post was on Dealing with life Struggles. Taking Job as case study, let’s see how you can get back your spark. Job did some or all of these in his trying period.
1. Total Acceptance
Take a look at these verses again:
Job 1:20-22 Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.
After listening to all the bearers of bad news who seemed to be on queue to drop their bombshell on Job in one day, Job surrendered to God’s Lordship. Total acceptance. He understood the frailty of man when he said in Job 14: 1
Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.
When life turns up its heat on you and you seem helpless, turn to God.
2. Drop the ‘over-analysis’
Over analyzing only complicates life around you and leads to a viscous spiral down on your health. Yes, things have gone wrong or they are currently going wrong. You need to stop and think to figure out corrective measures. But do not overthink. Job in his own predicament, began to recount his noble deeds as justification for God not to allow such calamity befall him. Guess what? It was sheer waste of time. Is there something you can do about the situation? If yes, do it. If no, then why worry? Jesus asked in Luke 12:25-26: “And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest?”
3. Stop the comparison
Self-acceptance is key. Be content with yourself while you work your way upward. Questions like “are they better than I am? Why do I not have what they have? Trash them. They generate silly comparisons that lead to self-pity and envy which is a sin. Read 2 Corinthians 10:12. Your timing and theirs are quite different. Understand that life is not really yours to decide what happens. Yours is just to make efforts. God decides what follows the efforts.
4. Forgive and ask for God’s forgiveness:
Bob Gass in his book ‘Discovering Your Destiny’ explained that your happiness should not depend on the ability of other people to ask for your forgiveness. According to him, “Unforgiveness is the umbilical cord that keeps you tied to the past”. This is very true and it rids you of your joy while the offender carries on with their life as though you don’t exist. If your depression is as a result of past hurts, it’s time to ‘let go and let God’. Let go of the pains and let God take charge of your heart. Job learnt this in the end after all his grumbling and he asked God for forgiveness. The truth is that trying times may tempt us to question the credibility of God or his power and this is why you must be careful so you do not sin.
5. Trust in God:
Job 13: 15 “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him”. Job did not stop trusting God. Trusting God in a seemingly hopeless situation in life is quite difficult and it takes quite a lot of effort. This brings me to the next point.
6. Fellowship:
Fellowship with other devoted Christians. Isolation and withdrawal to yourself is the most likely thing you feel like doing when depressed but this is counteractive to recovery. You need to talk to someone who would talk you out of your doldrums. Not just anyone; a qualified person like a therapist and the Church leader or mature Christians would be fine. You should especially talk to God personally. he understands the most. Job spoke with some foolish friends who only aggravated his misery. Thank God for Elihu, the youngest in age among them who spoke some senses into Job.
7. Keep a grateful heart:
Write down and meditate on things to be thankful for and Stay Positive. Create your mantra and keep saying it until you live it out. After so much whining and even challenging God, Job understood the need to be grateful. 1 Thessalonians 5:18: In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
8. Sing and pray often:
Prayer is a master key that breaks walls of frustrations and opens doors of victory. It brought an end to Job’s season of adversity and opened the times of refreshing in double folds for all his loss. He ended his later years with twenty-two thousand livestock and ten children. His daughters were the most beautiful in the land. He lived to see his children to the fourth generation. He died old and full of years. What more could a man ask for?
Songs and Prayer can change situations. Ask Paul and Silas. They were chained hands and foot alongside other prisoners under close supervision. The situation was bad enough to get them depressed. Working so hard to spread the gospel only to be stripped and publicly flogged severely, then thrown into prison without any fair hearing. Common! But they chose songs and prayers over despair and that was the sound of their victory.
Cast all your cares, your bitterness, your worries on him, for he cares for you. Let God do the worrying for you while you go with His joy as your strength.
Nehemiah 8:10:
Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our LORD: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the LORD is your strength.
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God bless you.
Further Reading: Joyce Meyer- Seven Things That Steal Your Joy
