Christians and Depression

It has been a while since my last update. I have found that I have had little time to write recently and the time that I do have I seldom find the energy. Nevertheless, I do hope what I have to say here is beneficial to my readers even if I'm not always as consistent as I'd like to be.

As my wife and I have grappled with the trials of taking care of Karis and raising Kales, the temptation to despair has all too often confronted me. While I go through my personal struggles of introspection and melancholy, I have been reflecting on how the church's attitude towards Christians and depression. In fact, a book was recently released entitled Christians Get Depressed Too by David Murray (which I have not yet read) that addresses this very issue. In short, my perception is that the church's position is that Christians are always to be cheery, positive, and upbeat. The sad truth is that this expectation does not coincide with the reality that many Christians do in fact get depressed.

As a result of the church's position that Christians do not experience depression, there is a general ignorance among Christians about how to minister to believers who are going through it. Often, depression is mistaken for sadness (which has a singular definite cause or root) and so a person may be told to read the Bible or pray more. While the means of grace are certainly important, true depression is like a fog that looms over us in an elusive manner. Perhaps the worst part of not knowing depression's origin is not knowing its ending either. The fact that depression does not have an immediate cure means that sometimes our own misery is magnified by reflecting on our own despair. As C.S. Lewis said, "Part of every misery is, so to speak, the misery's shadow or reflection: the fact that you don't merely suffer but have to keep on thinking about the fact that you suffer. I not only live each endless day in grief, but live each day thinking about living each day in grief."

In light of the reality of depression and its presence among believers, every Christian falls into one of two categories: sufferer or non-sufferer. If you are a non-sufferer and do not understand the nature of this malady, be sure to study up before counseling someone. It is better to be informed than to misspeak. To those who are sufferers, I would like to give you five brief aids (these are certainly not cures) to dealing with depression.

1. Find Friends.
Don't go it alone! One of the most vicious cycles of depression is that when you are depressed you want to isolate yourself and when you isolate yourself your depression worsens. Find friends who you can trust, who you can be honest and forthright with. Forget about the stigma. Seek community.
2. Fake it until you make it.
With depression, we lose interest in doing things, all things in some cases. As much as you can, take small steps towards taking action on things you are unmotivated to do. Read that chapter of Scripture you've been putting off. Clean the dishes. Deliver an errand.
3. Invest in a hobby.
This may seem trite but our Lord is the Lord of leisure as well. Sometimes a new interest (such as taking up basketball, puzzles, writing) may help provide the variety that disrupts the sameness of depression and draws you outside of yourself. God's world teems with various activities and adventures that await us.
4. Memorize simple promises of God's Word.
I emphasize "simple" here because when depressed it is often hard to concentrate. However, you can take one or two verses and say them over and over to yourself. Meditation is key. Quality over quantity.
5. Pray for deliverance.
This is not to be overlooked. The Lord's deliverance is key in the battle against this mental anguish. Cry out to him. Bring to him your despair and your heartache. He is near to those who are afflicted.