Depressed? Find Rest in God

Seen through a Christian lens, God cares about you deeply and wants to fill your life with joy, peace, a sense of harmony, and much more. When a long stretch of sadness has its hold on you and nothing seems to offer a way out, there is still genuine reason to hope. Nearly everyone goes through a season of sadness at some point, and for most people it lifts after a while. If yours has lingered longer than that, know that you are far from the only one.

Recognizing the signs is where help begins. Depression probably was not what you pictured when you imagined a full life, yet God wants you to come into His peace and gladness, and He will walk with you through it, because you matter enormously to Him. Do any of these sound familiar: guilt, a heavy stillness that keeps you from doing anything, sleeping too little or too much, eating too much or barely at all, constant doubt or worry or complaint? Some people even notice their trust in God slipping. Settle your heart.

How do you move past it? That depends on what put you there, and often more than one cause is at work. The body plays a part. Poor diet, too little movement, and not enough sleep can all pull your mood down, so start by taking care of yourself. Various illnesses and certain medications can bring on depression too, which is why a checkup with your doctor is a sensible step to rule out a physical source.

Pain is a normal response when something you count as bad lands on you. Maybe a job is gone, or your financial footing. Maybe someone wronged you, whether last week or years back. A friendship, a family tie, or a marriage may have gone sour. You might be grieving someone who died, or aching over something you never had at all and always expected to, a spouse or children of your own.

Tell God about the hurt. He knows already, but saying it in your own words matters for you. Talk it over with a friend you trust, a pastor, or a counselor. Grieving, including crying, is a healthy thing, so let the tears come if they want to. It is fine to hurt over what has happened.

Break the habit of replaying harsh lines to yourself, things like "I'm no good," "I can't do anything right," or "this will never change." Replace them. Learn what God says about you and repeat those words back against the negative ones. Fill your mind with truths such as: "For I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me the strength and power" (Philippians 4:13); "It is he who will supply all (my) needs from his riches in glory, because of what Christ Jesus has done for (me)" (Philippians 4:19); "For the Holy Spirit, God's gift, does not want (me) to be afraid of people, but to be wise and strong, and to love them and enjoy being with them" (II Timothy 1:7); "Overwhelming victory is ours through Christ who loved us enough to die for us" (Romans 8:37); "He personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross, so that we can be finished with sin and live a good life from now on. For his wounds have healed ours!" (I Peter 2:24).

Taking an active role in a church gives you a place to grow spiritually and understand your faith more. Ask God to point out the thoughts and actions He wants you to change, and let go of your grievances against people who have hurt you. Thank Him for His love, and ask for healing and a fresh gladness in living. Give thanks for the small things each day; doing that slowly steers you back toward the larger ones. It can be as ordinary as waking up early enough to reach work on time without the scramble.

If the heaviness does not lift, reach out to your pastor or doctor. Tracing the real roots and dealing with them rarely happens fast, but answers are there for you. And never forget that depression does not put you in isolation. Plenty of faithful people have passed through deep stretches of it. The stories of Moses, David, and many others in Scripture show that God's love holds steady even then, and that He brings great hope in the end. There is comfort in knowing that even the saints endured spells of mental suffering, long and short, as the Bible records them.

Jeff Stein. The Christian Broadcasting Network. (n.d.). Retrieved January 6, 2015.