Freedom from Depression Part Two

Viewing depression differently can being freedom because it makes you realize how much you need Jesus. For example, in a season of depression, you don’t have the ability to turn to the world to find fulfillment like everyone else, you have to turn to the Lord. In Christianity we often hear, “rejoice in the Lord always,” but then we experience emotions such as anger, sadness or anxiety. We can almost be afraid of those emotions or cling to them, and then it makes verses like “rejoice always” impossible because we see rejoice as an emotion. But the truth is, we can feel an uncomfortable, hard emotion and still rejoice in the Lord. God did not have to give us emotions, but He gave them to us as a gift. That also means we don’t have to obey every emotion and take it as truth, but it means every emotion is trying to tell us something. Let your feelings speak to you, but be anchored in prayer and truth so God has the final say. In the same way, it’s time we break past the fear of vocalizing “I’m struggling.” When we identify with what we are feeling, it can be scary to share with someone that we are feeling a hard emotion because we think that is the lens by which they will now see us. But the truth is, the people who love you will not see you through a different lens when you share your feelings. We can expect ourselves to be more honest with God than anyone around us, but God gave us community to be honest with too.