Depression – God’s Blessing (Part 1)
“You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.” – Psalms 51:16-17
Christ came for the sick – Not the healthy! He came for the ragamuffins – Not the straight-laced, uptight religious pew sitter who thinks sitting in that pew is making God happy!
So Blessed are we chosen few – the depressed! Blessed are we the ones in pain with every smile – the depressed! Blessed are we for whom the beautiful colorful world of God is black and white – the depressed!
Let me say at the outset of this series that I am one of that unhappy mob of depressed and I took anti-depressants for years. I would advise anyone dealing with depression to seek a trained counselor first to evaluate how deep and serious the depression is.
Outside of that if you read this blog regularly you know that I have seen several reasons for Christian depression – legalism, inability to conform to a group that calls themselves a church, inability to realize God’s true Love and many others based primarily around Grace.
For me it was legalism and the inability to face the immense Love of God that He gave freely through His Son Jesus Christ.
So how do we wrestle this blessing and get the all this gift has for us? Over the next several days I will be sharing several ways to understand this blessing and how wonderful it is to be faced with this.
Why wonderful?
For the same reason the woman touched the hem of His garment, for the same reason the thief on the cross, and so many others could be changed in an instance – they knew their need!
I have friends and family who just don’t get it – Grace that is and how depression is an integral part of God’s blessings – why?- because they have never tasted the scum at the bottom of the barrel as it was shoved down their throat for the umpteenth time!
Could I have had a comfortable life on a comfortable pew doing a comfortable gig as a comfortable minister or deacon and never been forced to question God – Yes if I had been cursed by God I could have – But I was Blessed beyond any as I have wrestled the black dog of depression and at times he still visits- Yes I was blessed to have to look up to the mountain from whence cometh my strength.
And so it is that the first step in understanding depression – is to see it for what it IS! It Is the brokenness that God desires!
God wants desperately to Be your Abba Father! He is Not pie in the sky or policeman in the air – He is the Creator of All and He wants you to climb up in His massive lap and just sit with Him while He runs His fingers through your hair and tells you how special you are!
You want to know and see His Love and understand your blessing – tips of the day:
1) Go to YouTube and look up Brennan Manning. Check out his sermon on “Abba’s Child”
2) Read each of the next 5 blogs I write and after each one plan a few moments to sit in silence and practice meditation that will be taught in the next blog post.
3) Be open to the idea that your idea of God, Love and spirituality may need to change.
4) Never give up! “When going through Hell it is important to keep moving” – Winston Churchill during the Battle of Britain!
