A note from Lisa: Remember, if you feel you have a life of misery, suffer from depression, or even deal with suicidal thoughts you are not alone. In the devotional below, Karlton speaks of both extreme depression that need medical intervention, as well as our “melancholy moods.” There is a great difference between these two areas, but they are often lumped together. If you are feeling suicidal at all, I encourage you to visit a Christian web site I write for ThinkingAboutSuicide.com or seek out immediate help.
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When coping with chronic illness it can feel like we are leading a life of misery. God is bigger than our circumstances, however, and gives us hope to hold onto.
“Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our ancestors, and the Lord heard our voice and saw our misery, toil and oppression.” (Deuteronomy 26:6-8)
We will face things in life that are just too difficult to comprehend. I have been recently thinking about a young woman who tragically ended her life in a violent fashion. I cannot fathom the life of misery and pain she was going through to do such an act, what mental processes were involved that led her into tragedy, and left behind sorrowing friends and family members.
There are serious mental illnesses that need treating, and depression often accompanies other illnesses. These do not go away by wishful thinking, but often need medication and therapy.
Nevertheless, I think to some extent we are responsible for our actions and choices–our own “mental health.” For example, you cannot be focused on “doom and gloom” twenty-four hours a day and expect to keep a cheerful disposition. You cannot watch depressing news channels at all hours and then expect to have any optimism. And if you spend all your time with gloomy people and expect it not to rub off on you, it’s unlikely. Good mental health takes an effort on our part.
We should not everpass judgment on those who say they lead a life of misery, who cope depression and mental illness; we should try to help those who are in the throes of mental anguish.
I believe in a healing, restoring God, and I believe He can help us to overcome anything the devil may throw at us. It will not always be easy. Indeed, the challenges are sometimes harsh, but if we will keep the faith and hold fast to our Lord, I believe we can avoid becoming just another tragedy, and help those around us as well.
If you are in the throes of depression and despair, feeling like you have a life of misery, I encourage you to seek treatment. There are things we can do to improve our mental condition, but there are mental illnesses that need treatment and medication. People die of various diseases, and such diseases are taken seriously, but I fear mental illness are not taken as seriously even though mental illness can lead to death and endless misery. Faith and positive thinking, and being diligent about our mental wellness are important, but mental illness is a disease as worthy of medical treatment as any other affliction
Perhaps you struggle with depression or anxiety or some other malady of the mind, get treatment, get help. If you know someone who suffers such things, keep track of them, ask them how they are doing, ask if they are getting treatment, if they are taking their medication.
Perhaps you struggle with everyday melancholy and emotional liability, be aware of what makes you worse, what makes you better, avoid the things that increase such problems, and stay aware of your moods and feelings. Some things God heals, sometimes he uses doctors and medication, and sometimes He gives us wisdom to clean up our own unhealthy mental habits.
Prayer: Dear Lord, how painful it is to see others lost to depression and mental illness, we need Your comfort and peace for these situations. We can easily become overwhelmed feeling like we lead a life of misery and we need Your strength and guidance to help those who are suffering from despair. Let Your love and grace guide us all Lord. Amen.
About the Author:
Karlton Douglas lives in Ohio with his lovely wife. He is grateful that the Lord heals the body, spirit, and the mind as well.
Have you considered that the Lord cares as much about our mental health as our physical health? Have you felt like you lead a life of misery? Do you know people who are suffering mentally and need help?
Karlton, I have suffered from mental illness for as long as I remember. I was diagnosed with anxiety and depression a long, long time ago and was blessed to have a Christian counselors.. Was it hard to go for help? Yes, but I knew I had to. Were the counseling sessions a walk in the park? Definitely not! But was it worth it? Absolutely.! God worked through those experiences to encourage me in the Lord and give me hope for the future.
After moving to a new location, God led me to a psychiatrist who diagnosed me as having Attention Deficit Disorder and Obsessive compulsive Disorder. I then learned that a lot of women with ADD have been treated for depression/anxiety, when they were just symptoms of another mental illness. And it’s easy to see why..
This diagnosis helped me to understand myself better. I could not go on Ritalin or any other medication for ADD because of hypertension, but he did start me on an antidepressant. I resisted this for a few weeks as I was worried about side effects, but finally said Yes after absorbing as much about the drug as I could. Between that and Lite Therapy for SAD, I’ve improved a lot.
I don’t know where I’d be without getting this professional help. God is so good.