There are many definitions of depression out there in the world, but biblically, depression can be defined by just three words: Sorrow without hope. A depressed counselee has lost hope, and now believes she will never be happy again. Perhaps something terrible has happened to trigger this season of deep sadness. But often, there has been no crisis or life-changing event that has shaken the counselee’s faith.
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If life has changed dramatically for you, never to be the same again, you are probably reeling, uncertain what to do or where to go from here. You know that you were created to bring glory to God, but you don’t see how you can do that in your present condition. The truth is, my dear sister, you can bring glory to God in any condition He sovereignly ordains for you, no matter how unwelcome it may be in your view. This truth will never change. Your identity hasn’t changed, either. You may feel incomplete as you are now, but God says you are complete in Him.
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A life-changing event like this forces a person to examine their identity. Who am I now? Who am I if I can’t be who I thought I was? A believer in this kind of trial will be forced to take a hard look at where she has rooted her identity. If she doesn’t line it up with Scripture, she risks depression, sorrow, and bitterness. This is exactly where I was as my “new normal” became clear to me. I found myself in a kind of limbo, realizing that I had grounded my sense of who I was in what I could do. When this became clear, I knew that I had to deconstruct the person I had built and start over. This time though, it wouldn’t be me doing the building.
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Nineteen years ago I asked her what the most important lesson was that she had learned. Her answer was to put the cross into practice daily by dying to self and living for the Lord. Interestingly, this lady who has daily died to her sinful self since learning of its importance about 60 years ago, has experienced the real life that everyone longs for. By living this life, she has inspired countless others to live for the Lord as well.
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Sin is sin, right? Lying is a sin. Adultery is a sin. Murder is a sin. I’m pretty sure we can all agree on those. But then there are other things—attitudes of the heart—that we sometimes want to debate. For example, if we feel angry about something, and we hang onto that anger in our hearts, but we don’t take it out on anyone and we don’t become vengeful, is that a sin? What about envy or resentment? If someone seems to have a better life than we do, and we find that we just don’t really want to be their friend, is that a sin? After all, we’re not commanded to be friends with everyone, right? How about depression? Can we just say that we have a melancholy personality, and be excused from seeking to be joyful in life?
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We are not a licensed counseling agency, nor are we psychologically or medically trained therapists. We offer ‘pastoral’ counseling intended to bring life change through heart change.