Have you ever experienced a shipwreck? I hope you haven’t. Yet, in a figurative sense, everyone has. Think about an event or experience that knocked the air out of your lungs and took your life off course. It’s like experiencing a shipwreck. One moment, your life is on track, sailing towards your well-thought-out destination. Suddenly, a harsh storm comes, and then everything goes blank for a while; next thing you know, you’re on the shore of a strange island. For many people, this is their experience. And often, depression isn’t far behind such life-altering occurrences
The truth is, depression only takes over when we focus on the storm and the wreckage. Indeed, we can choose to focus on how we even survived a devastating experience. Or we can become obsessed with the storm and believe that its effects are final.
There’s a remarkable scene in the gospels that show us what to focus on when the storms of depression rage. Peter saw Jesus walking on water and asked to join Him. For a few seconds, Peter walked on water just like Jesus, but he stopped focusing on Jesus and started focusing on the wind and waves; in other words, Peter began to focus on the troubles around him instead of keeping his mind focused on Jesus and His command to come to Him. Are you like Peter? Do you take your eyes off God’s ‘little miracle’ in your life to stare at the mighty storm? This scene from the Bible shows us that we can have God in our lives and yet magnify our circumstances above Him, above His love.
In her book, “HEALING YOUR DEPRESSION,” Apostle L’Tanya C. Perry, MDiv. wrote, “Depression may make you feel as though no one – not even God – could truly love you; however, by reading the Bible, praying to God, and praising Him for His love, you are stating that God’s Word, not your current emotional state, is your authority. When you praise God for getting you through the despair, you also demonstrate your trust in God’s promise at a time when you wouldn’t feel like it. Even though it may not halt the depression instantly, it may surely change how it affects you! Even amid emotional storms, it can help you stay faithful to God, for Jesus Christ has already won the war for us. Here is my point, He told His disciples in John 16:33 (KJV), “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” No matter what you go through, make God your focus, take your eyes off the increasing bills, redirect your focus from the challenges in your relationship, the overwhelming thoughts that seem to drown you, and know you will come out victorious!
Do you want to learn more about how to overcome depression and live a life full of laughter and fulfillment? Then get this life-transforming book, HEALING YOUR DEPRESSION by Apostle L’Tanya C. Perry, MDiv.