Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. 1 Peter 3:8
I learned this week that a friend of the family, Patricia, committed suicide. Patricia was experiencing some serious health issues and had become isolated and depressed. She began making remarks to her family like “everybody would be better off if I was not here”.
Tragically, Patricia’s personal pain became too much for her to bare. She lost her connection not only with God but with her family and friends. Of course, hindsight is 20/20. Her family is brokenhearted and her friends are in shock and hurting – asking themselves – “How did we miss the warning signs?”.
We are all susceptible to discouragement and depression. God created us to be relational- both with Him and with each other. As believers and followers of Christ, our relationship with our Father God is ever present but our humanity is ever before us as well.
In truth, God is bigger than our circumstances: health concerns, financial struggles, relational challenges in our family. There is No circumstance bigger than God!
But, depression and anxiety can often be tough to tackle from a Christian perspective. As believers, do we sometimes judge others (and ourselves) when we suffer from depression, but we do not judge others’ (and ourselves) when we have a medical issue?
“Depression is not a character defect, a spiritual disorder or an emotional dysfunction. And chief of all, it’s not a choice. Asking someone to “try” not being depressed is tantamount to asking someone who’s been shot to try and stop bleeding. Such an attitude can dangerously appear in the Church as “if only you had enough faith.” Brandon Peach
God has provided the answers to whatever we might encounter during our lifetime. And He has not asked us to embrace our earth walk alone. He created us for relationships – on many different levels.
We are not human beings on a spiritual journey, we are spiritual beings
on a human journey – Rick Warren
Are you living life alone? Do have a family member or trusted friend that you can share your heart with? “Do Life” with?
It’s not easy to open our hearts and share our concerns with others. I have personally experienced this as I’ve navigated life’s disappointments, heartbreaks, and challenges. Friendship is a gift that you not only give, but you receive, as well. As we open our lives to others, these trusted friends realize that they can share and trust their hearts and lives with us.
God’s faithfulness is not often revealed in freedom from pain, but freedom through the pain. And through the pain, not only can our relationship with God be strengthened, but also our relationship with others.
If you have closed your heart off to others, I challenge you to share your humanity with someone you trust today. Open you’re Bible and read the book of Psalms out loud until God’s Word of hope and joy have flooded your soul!
