Depression

Hello All,

Depression is not just another word for sadness.

It is much more than that.

Many describe depression as being trapped in a deep, dark pit of despair. Some describe it as an invisible glass wall between them and their external environment. Others consider it a prolonged condition of emotional numbness – the inability to feel happy, sad, angry or anything at all.

A deep sense of darkness and hopelessness engulfs the mind and heart of the depressed. It is an indescribably dreadful state to be in.

Depression may not be visible to the eye, but it is real. It may seem like an abstract condition to those who have never been through it. But it is anything but abstract. It is anything but unreal.

Depression

By Joanne Liaw Sook Ling (9 June 2016)

I’m living, but I do not feel alive

I’m breathing, but I can barely survive

I’m hoping, and yet all hope escapes me

Nothing lifts the fog of despondency

There are times I cry uncontrollably

Waves of sadness and grief rush over me

Other times I just feel numb and empty

My emotions are dulled by apathy

My life goes on, in a state of stupor

‘Why should I go on living?’ I wonder

‘You have hope in Christ,’ the Bible tells me

Then hope I shall, though no hope I see

Points for Reflection:

Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation and my God.

(Psalm 42:11 ESV)

·         ‘Then hope I shall, though no hope I see.’

·         Our situation may feel hopeless, but it is not. God may seem like a million miles away, but He is not. God may not seem to care, but He does. He loves us beyond our finite understanding.

·         With whatever little hope you have left in God, cling on to it. Do not let God go for He will never let you go. He has you safely in His mighty hands and you can rest in Him.

·         Jesus Christ, the Light of the world, went through the darkness of despair so that we may have hope. Though that hope may seem like a faint glimmer in the dark, it is brighter than the morning star.

·         Do not keep silent and fight this battle alone. Reach out to friends and loved ones for help. Walk on, although every step may bring you pain. Keep holding on to Christ for He will never let you go.