Can a Christian Have Depression?

There may come a time where through no fault of one's own, a darkness envelops the soul, leading it into an abyss that seems all consuming. Where the soul thirsts for some relief but there is none to be found, and though you struggle to keep up appearances soon the wall crashes down and one is left, to themselves.

Among Christian communities there is the belief that 'real' Christians don't suffer depression and if they do, the depressed person is then told they 'lack trust in God's Goodness' or that they are 'being punished by God'. These comments arise not out of a willingness to hurt but from ignorance. One is reminded of Job's friends who also said the same thing to him.

Depression is an illness that can strike anyone anywhere and at anytime. It is as if a creeping fog is slowly gaining ground and though you try and remain as busy and as upbeat as you have always been. Soon the fog is at your shoulder till one day you awake and see only the fog. You lose interest in everything around you including your family, the things you once loved to do now seem anathema. It is as if you were on an escalator that only goes downward and cannot be reversed and neither can you jump off. You find yourself trapped.

During these times of the deepest darkness a soul will ever know, all seems as if it were meaningless. Your prayers feel as if they were 'rising up to thin air', you feel no sense of God's Presence or that He is hearing your cries for help. Soon follows the cry 'God where are you and why is this happening to me'? Or more poignantly 'God why have You abandoned me when I need You most', and God remains....silent.

Depression can also be as silent killer as many feel to ashamed to admit they have a problem and where the joy they once took for granted has all but disappeared. As Christians many feel that they cannot speak of this particular illness lest they be thought a 'bad Christian' this is because the inner dictatorial voice is ruling their minds. As a Christian one should always seek out your doctors advice when depression takes hold of your life. During this time of spiritual darkness a good Spiritual Director is also vital.

During the midst of the depression you will often feel that though your soul wants to sing, it feels as if it were trapped in the deepest pit of molasses which is dragging you down to its murky depths. The struggle against this uneven tide exhausts you both mentally and spiritually.

It takes true courage to wake up and face the blackness of another day. Where though your body is alive your soul feels dead and the tired mind longs to simply sleep forever and not wake up.

It is at these times that one must impose mental discipline. The only way out of severe depression is the ingredient of mental discipline and the acknowledgement that you cannot be all things to all people. When a soul is so immersed in darkness, the only voice it hears is one of self criticism and self negation. This inner voice must be stilled and it is the sufferer who must impose sanctions on this most vicious enemy. Rather than 'run with this inner critic' one must exorcise it by imposing restrictions and disciplining your own mind to cease to think in this particular pattern.

This is also where prayer and reading small verses from the Bible will help in the recovery process. Even though the person 'feels' as if its prayers were going into thin air, the Bible states differently and it is this that the soul must cling to. Not on its own reasoning's which have gone awry but on the Promises of God alone!

When a soul is immersed in darkness that not even a star from the sky could pierce its blackened depths, kind words, helpful gestures nor prescriptions will do the work that God can. Though a soul may feel abandoned by God, Scripture which is the Promise of God tells the soul different.

This is why mental discipline is crucial and why a person who is suffering through this agonizing illness needs a mature and wise spiritual director. Only God through persevering prayer and trusting in God's Word can heal the tormented and anguished heart of the sufferer.

For anyone who is suffering depression do not suffer in silence when your soul is screaming for help. To seek help is not weakness it is the first step towards your healing. Take that step one day at a time.

Remember to be gentle with yourself. You were not born perfect, do not punish yourself for your 'perceived' imperfections.

"Surely darkness shall hide me, and night shall be my light" -- Darkness is not dark for you, and night shines as the day. Darkness and light are but one." (Psalm 139:11-12)