CATEGORY: Depression and Faith
Is Self-Absorption Inevitable During Depression?
The worst physical pain I ever experienced occurred during my senior year in high school. I had neglected intermittent tooth pain for weeks. A large cavity had carved a hole into a molar. I had forgotten about the bad tooth when I bit down on a hard food item in...
2 Things about Christian Living I’ve Learned the Hard Way
What must you do before others in the body of Christ can help you bear a heavy burden? In what sense is heart-breaking conviction of sin a demonstration of God’s grace toward you? After 76 years of life as a Christ-follower and over 55 years in vocational...
How to Pray When Afflicted
You’re smack-dab in the middle of a depressive episode. The despair stifles motivation to live. Your grown daughter left the church and isn’t sure she still believes in God. Chronic pain or illness restricts you physically and begets discouragement...
Can Depression Glorify God?
Which glorifies God more: healing depression or redeeming it? God’s Word teems with examples of miraculous healing, resulting in praise. It also discloses benefits of affliction that isn’t removed, such as character cultivation (Romans 5:2-5) expansion...
Hold Fast, for Heaven’s Sake!
When the fog of depression envelops me, what spurs me to action when there’s no feeling or motivation to do anything? A means of grace I cling to for sustenance is the Word of God. One feature in the Bible that has thrown me a lifeline time and again is...
You Can’t Handle Depression Alone
Please don’t miss this strategy for handling depression. Ministry of Presence Dolly had heard me mutter that I didn’t want to live. The hopelessness of depression had been accompanied by extreme anxiety and restlessness. My two preadolescent boys...
THE POWER OF SAYING “I’M SORRY!”
As a Christ-follower, how do you feel when you raise your voice and speak harshly to your spouse or child? How do you respond when you realize you’ve jumped to conclusions and incorrectly assigned a wrong motive to someone’s questionable actions? What...
Anticipating Heaven In the Here and Now
What hard choices should be made before you become terminally ill or die unexpectedly? Why is it good stewardship and a loving thing to do to “live with the end in mind”? What are the components of an effective end-of-life plan that will ease the...
Yes–I Do Want Your Sympathy!
“I don’t want your sympathy!” That’s a common reply when a troubled or hurting person perceives that a would-be comforter exhibits a patronizing, condescending attitude. The unfortunate person believes the other person looks down on him. He...
Help, Lord, When I Read Your Word!
Knowing how spiritually frail I am, and with awareness of my tendency to hurry through personal devotions so I can get to tasks I mistakenly consider more urgent, I’ve been asking God to change my approach to my Bible reading. Put simply, I’m praying...
How Many Times….??
Two Perspectives on Depression: One Bleak, One Reassuring The Misery of Melancholy Recently I reflected on the persistence of depression symptoms I’ve experienced over the years. How many times has a dark, thick fog of depression enveloped me, blinding...
Are You Watching for the Morning?
In the first of her 90 devotionals, titled “Beauty in the Broken,” Vaneetha explains the Japanese art of kintsugi. This is the process of repairing broken pottery in a way that renders it more valuable than it was before the break. The artist...
