Attitude

FIGHTING CLINICAL DEPRESSION

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LITTLE NANCY
Nancy (3 Years Old)

Because You are my Helper,
I sing for joy in the shadow of Your wings,
I cling to You, Your strong right hand holds me securely.
Psalms 63:7-8 NLT

I would like to address a subject that is often swept under the rug, not because it’s deviate or inappropriate, but simply because there is a stigma attached to it…a stigma brought on by ignorance. Yes, I said it! I’m talking about clinical depression. Oftentimes people who suffer from this malady try not to let it be known because the condition is associated with mental illness or instability…not so! Are people with other chronic illnesses that are caused by chemical imbalance (for instance diabetics) considered mentally ill? I don’t think so.

Now, I’m not talking about a down day here and there. We all have those. I’m talking about something these people have to deal with every day. Circumstance doesn’t cause it, although it can worsen it. You just wake up with it and you go to bed with it and you just have to deal with it.

And for those of you that would get on your “high horse” regarding divine healing…I am not excluding that possibility. God is certainly able! He has healed me more than once in my lifetime.

You may be thinking, “Well, what makes you an expert on the subject?” I’ll tell you what…the best schooling one can have…experience! I have suffered from depression for as long as I can remember, although I didn’t know what to call it. Even as a child I was never happy. All of my pictures from childhood depict a solemn, stoic-faced mini-person. At the same time, I was almost always angry. Only my family knew this side of me and they didn’t really understand.

Now, you may be thinking that I was a spoiled brat, but that really isn’t the case. Most of the time I was a good little girl and a perfectionist about everything…even my behavior. I have come to the conclusion that something in my childhood that I don’t even remember must have triggered this dysfunctional behavior. I’ll probably never know what. My mother used to kid me by singing this nursery rhyme, “Once there was a little girl who had a little curl right down in the middle of her forehead; When she was good, she was very, very good, but when she was bad…she was horrid!”

I grew up in a middle-class home with parents who provided for me and gave me the care and comfort I needed. They showed me love in the only way they, as survivors of the “great depression”, knew how. My father worked incessantly to provide for us a better life than he had experienced as a child. My mother was a homemaker who cooked, sewed and performed her motherly duties without complaint. One fond memory I do have when in grade school is coming home and opening the front door to the wafting aroma of fresh-baked tea cakes! Ummm! My mom could make the best!

Now you may be wondering why I am telling you this…am I just airing my dirty laundry so to speak? Absolutely not! What purpose would I have? I know that many people suffer from depression and many, like me, may not even know the reason. Many feel guilty about it, especially if they are a Christian. If that is true of you, I want you to know that I understand and empathize. You are not alone and it’s not your fault! But I do want to open for you a door of hope. I do want to tell you that there is something that you can do about it. Yes, I said something YOU can do!

I don’t want to write a book on this one blog entry, so if it’s okay with you, I would like to write a series on this subject. I would like to share my experiences and my lessons learned. I will share my pain and my progress, my defeats and my victories, my losses and my gains. If you don’t have a problem with this silent, sinister spawn of Satan called “Depression”, I’ll bet you know someone who does. And if I can share one nugget that will help them to overcome, I will not keep silent. I leave you with this thought, “Don’t judge another until you’ve walked a mile in their shoes!”

DUST OFF YOUR BELLOWS

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PROCRASTINATION
Despite their desires, the lazy will come to ruin,
for their hands refuse to work.
Proverbs 21:25

I want to make a confession. You won’t tell will you? Are your ears perked up? Is your attention peaked? First of all, I’m going to see if you can guess where I’m going. This culprit…I wouldn’t necessarily call it a sin, although it could be…keeps me from achieving my ultimate goals in life. It provides the whip for a lot of self-flagellation (figuratively speaking, of course). It keeps me guilt-ridden and ineffective when I yield to its smooth, laid-back enticements. Its words are as smooth and inviting as the chocolate Frosty I get at…well, you know where! But, just like that Frosty, after I’ve partaken, I can feel the guilt of the indulgence weighing me down. Any ideas yet?

Okay…okay, enough suspense! This sneaky, slithering, but most effective spawn of Satan is embodied in one word…procrastination! Truthfully, I’m not even sure that Satan has anything to do with it many times. I’m quite sure that I am perfectly capable of talking myself into relaxing into its open arms…and the excuses for doing so are innumerable! “I’m just too tired.” “It can wait until tomorrow.” “I don’t feel well.” “I’m just not in the right frame of mind.” They go on and on…ad infinitum. Can you relate? If not, I am very envious of your tremendous self-control!

For example, at the beginning of every year I say I am going to journal. I start out the first week doing pretty well, but I can’t tell you how many new journals I have started that have only a few entries. And this blog? For a long time I was very faithful to write every two or three days. Then disruptions came, as they often will and I got lazy. (Laziness is a close relative of procrastination.) I procrastinated for so long that I lost inspiration…not a good thing for a writer. What does the Bible say about such a situation? Paul the Apostle says to Timothy in 2 Timothy 1:6, “This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.”

Does the Bible say for you to pray that the enthusiasm for your spiritual gift be restored? No. Does it say to get your pastor to pray? No. Does it say for you to believe that your enthusiasm be restored? No. Well, what does it say then? It says for YOU to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you! It is up to you and me! God is not going to prod us with a lightening bolt. He may speak to us softly in our inner man, but He will not make us do anything.

If you have a tendency to be a procrastinator, as I do, it will not be easy to change that lifestyle or habit. It will take initiative and determination! It will not be comfortable. Our mind and body almost always want to follow the path of least resistance. But even though I am a procrastinator, I am also a very strong-willed person. When I have had enough of my own laziness, I make myself fan those smoldering embers of whatever project I have started or need to start until they become a full fledged fire! Embers have potential, but Holy Spirit Fire is powerful! People can see it from afar and draw close to the warmth of its glow. And the more you fan it, the more powerful it becomes.

I’ve often heard it said, “You can be pitiful or powerful, but you can’t be both.” I would like to add a saying of my own to that one. “You can procrastinate or proliferate, but you can’t do both!”

I encourage you today, as I did in beginning my writing again, dust off your bellows and start fanning that fire within you until it flames brightly once again!

HAVE AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE

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CAT THANKSGIVING
Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be,
be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God
for you [who are] in Christ Jesus.
I Thessalonians 5:18 AMP

This is most definitely something that is more easily said than done.  But since it’s God’s Word, it must be something that is not only doable, but beneficial as well. Now first of all you have to understand that the verse says in everything give thanks.  It doesn’t say give thanks for everything.  God doesn’t expect us to give thanks for a toothache or a financial setback.  But he does expect us to give thanks in the midst of trouble.   An “attitude of gratitude” can see us through even the most difficult of circumstances.  Even though things may not be ideal, we can always find something to be thankful for.  Many nights when I crawl into bed I say, “Thank you, Lord, for my own bed with clean sheets and a soft pillow for my head.”  What a difference it makes in the way we feel, to look for something to be thankful for.  It changes our whole outlook, attitude and demeanor.

I recently read about a young man in Great Britain who is an accomplished and nationally acclaimed, writer.  He is only in his twenties, but is hailed as a genius in his field.  That in itself is awe inspiring.  But much more so is the fact that this young man was born with multiple sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair.  The severity of his disease is such that it takes him thirty minutes to write one word.  Yes, you read that right…thirty minutes to write one word!  Can you imagine?!  The account said that when he was young he was despondent and complained of his plight.  But his mom said to him, “You have two good eyes and a bright mind.  Make the best of what you have!”  He thought about it and decided to have the “attitude of gratitude” that we talked about.  It made all the difference in the world for his entire future.  I can’t even conceive of having such a dire obstacle to overcome.  Most of us can’t.  Surely we can use the story of this young man to motivate us to “give thanks in everything.”

The Bible tells us that because the Children of Israel murmured and complained they totally missed out on the blessings of entering into the promised land…the land of milk and honey…a place of rest. God brought them out of bondage to the Egyptians by opening the Red Sea for them and allowing them to walk through on dry ground and yet they constantly challenged His ability to provide for them. And when He did provide, it was never good enough! Can you see any such similarities in your own life? Paul tells us in the Book of Hebrews that we need to be careful lest we fall into the same pattern of murmuring and complaining as the Children of Israel and we fail to enter into that rest.

The Psalmist tells us that God inhabits the praises of His people. Would you like for God to inhabit your life…your circumstances? Then, learn to thank and praise Him that the answer is on its way and enter into the rest that only trust in Him can provide!
And…
The chains that seem to bind you, will fall powerless behind you…
when you praise Him!