Depression

Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! (Psalm 42:5)

All of us face depression from time to time; all of us have had days, weeks, even months where we have felt sad, isolated, and without the energy to do anything constructive. You may feel depressed because of a medical condition with no immediate cure; you may be struggling with relationship problems. Perhaps you have been depressed because of financial difficulties; maybe dissatisfaction with you job has gotten you down.

While doctors tell us that depression can be a symptom of a medical problem, more often than not we become depressed by our own hands. Sometimes we are responsible for the troubles that get us down. We act selfishly and drive away someone we love. We mistreat our bodies by the things we swallow, inhale, or inject, with the result that our health becomes crippled. We open ourselves to depression by reading or listening to excessive amounts of bad news, or basing our self-worth on the opinions of others.

Ultimately, depression results from one ugly truth—most of the time, you don’t have control. You have no power over the weather or the economy. You have very limited control over your health—you cannot prevent the onset of cancer or Alzheimer’s Disease or old age. You can’t control what another person thinks or feels—you can’t make someone love you or respect you.

No one likes to feel helpless; what’s the point of living, we wonder, if we are powerless to protect ourselves from hurt and loss? This is what gives rise to depression—the feeling that we are nothing but helpless victims. But isn’t it interesting what love and affection can do in the face of sorrow? Remember when you were little and you scraped a knee or elbow? Mommy kissed you and hugged you, and suddenly the pain and fright were not so bad anymore.

Jesus loves you; during the gray days of depression you might not feel loved, but Christ’s love for you is an indisputable fact. Look at the cross—Jesus shed His blood there for you. Look at your baptismal certificate; it documents the day when Jesus promised to never leave you, never forsake you. Our Lord is the King of Creation; He can set right whatever we have messed up. And while our Lord does not always give us quick relief from the things that trouble us, He is always ready to take you in His arms and love you, and make the pain fade away.