Skip to main content

How do I battle depression?

To give you a background about me, I come from a broken family and my parents were separated when I was young. I have always longed for love and that led me to some poor choices in relationships while I was growing up. So I have gone through rejection, abandonment, betrayal which led to despair, depression and a whole lot of negative emotions. And I can honestly say that everyday I fight these emotions as I tend to look back at the past or get anxious about the future. 


The hope in my story is Christ. I am glad that these broken paths have led me to Him. All that my heart longed for is satisfied in Him. My soul rejoices knowing that God so loved us that He sent His only son Jesus to suffer and die on the cross and rise again on the third day so that through Him we can have eternal life. And because He came in flesh, He alone understands the depth of my pain and suffering giving me a sure hope that I too will rise again from these momentary afflictions. (For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:15-16) 


I have found my best friend in Christ, so I can be honest in expressing my emotions and I know He is with me in my trials and sufferings. His Grace gives me the strength to face the darkness of depression and overcome it. 


When I feel lonely God reminds me He will never leave me nor forsake me- Hebrews 13:5. 


And when I feel burdened by my past I hold on to this - But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.- Philippians 3:13-14 God helps me with this verse to not dwell on the past and to move forward.


And when I get anxious thinking about the future Holy spirit reminds me -Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 


Moreover, when I feel rejected by people I am reminded I am fearfully and wonderfully made Psalm 139:14 this helps me understand my identity in Christ and not in rejection or approval from man.


The scriptures are life-giving and true, meditating on it helps me anchor my hope not in the fleeting things of this world but in an eternal and an unchanging God who loves and cares deeply and One who is alive and present. Christ gives me the strength and courage to rise each day and face the giants within and in this world. Along with the scriptures, I am also thankful to be a part of a Church community. They encourage me in my walk to learn to grow in love with Christ and His body. 


Each time I feel overwhelmed, I am reminded of Peter who walked on water while looking at Jesus but the moment He shifted His gaze He started drowning. I can identify with him when I focus on my emotions and circumstances I feel like I am drowning. But when I surrender my pain and situation to Christ I feel steady and calm. 


Finally, I hope and pray that as you meditate on the Scriptures may your eyes be fixed on Him, so that you may overcome every darkness and rejoice in the life-giving love of Christ each day.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Longing for forever!

 Being in the lockdown, I have come to appreciate the stillness, something I am not used to. Life gets so busy and it's like a monotonous routine. I almost felt like a hamster on a wheel. This period of rest has enabled me to slow down and appreciate the things I wouldn't notice because of busyness such as the birds outside my window, the sounds of them chirping every morning. Moreover, me wondering and reflecting as I used to when I was a child, I was so easily amazed at what I was learning. Growing up I somehow lost that and I feel like God is bringing me back to that place where I can be in awe of Him. In one of my conversations with my dear friend I mentioned- " Do you ever wonder why we say best friends Forever or I love you Forever? You know it's not strange that we long for Forever cause it is God who created us with that longing. In Ecclesiastes 3:11 it's written: God has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of...
Post a Comment
Read more

From wander to wonder

  What do you do? When you wander aimlessly  And the fire you once had was quenched You are misunderstood even by your own Rejected and cast away You feel lonely and isolated You  feel  you don't belong or can't connect And deep  inside  you feel empty and spent Tired yet going on from one day to the next  Your past mistakes haunt you  And an enemy that constantly attacks and doesn't back down And a world that constantly tempts you or makes you feel that you are not enough  And your thoughts that should be a friend but act like a foe instead  It haunts you with a past that makes you see the sins and a heart that's scarlet red Meet me "Great I am" in my wandering in this wilderness like you met Moses And transform my I am's Where mundane turns to musing And despair turns to delight  Where wander turns to wonder  Where wilderness turns to worship As you show me a bush burning and yet not consumed  Reminding me you have inter...
Post a Comment
Read more

Secret Garden

Guard the garden that's the genesis of my being The secret place where you formed me Guard my silence and solitude with you That's where you're doing a deep work of making me whole and Holy It's a privilege to be alone with you Jesus teach me to treasure You  You alone sit with me in the garden of my heart  And You yearn and delight to be with me May my wayward heart yearn for you and delight in you You wait gently to tend to the garden of my heart You violently uproot anything that obstructs our love and intimacy You want nothing to interrupt and put out the fire and pure passion of our communion You are jealous over the affections of my heart Like a bridegroom over the heart of His bride You alone are worthy of this wholehearted devotion Give me a heart that is purely devoted to you No one else knows me the way you do Nothing else can fix the mess in this garden Teach me to rejoice when you prune and uproot Father, you are the perfect gardener You're making this g...
Post a Comment
Read more