As Christians, sometimes we forget what Jesus has really done for us. At church on Sunday we sang the song, “Came To My Rescue.” The words are as follows:
Falling on my knees in worship
Giving all I am to seek your face
Lord all I am is yours
My whole life
I place in your hands
God of Mercy
Humbled I bow down
In your presence at your throne
I called you answered
And you came to my rescue and I
I wanna be where you are
In my life be lifted high
In our world be lifted high
In our love be lifted high
As I was singing that song, it hit me what Christ had really done for me . . . for all of us. It wasn’t enough for Him to simply save me from the pits of Hell itself. I mean, that in itself is a major triumph. He overcame death! He overcame sin!
BUT . . . He also saved me from the hopeless world we live in. He saved me from living a life full of despair and depression. Let me describe to you what exactly Jesus saved me from:
hatred for myself, confusion, hopelessness, anxiety, defeat, no desire to live, strong mood swings, lots of crying, major guilt, self-condemnation, and feelings of inadequacy as a mother and a wife
I don’t tell you this to “depress” you, but to show you how powerful God is. Understand that I was experiencing these emotions and feelings while I was a Christian. After I accepted Christ, His forgiveness for my sins, and His grace for living life on this earth, I was still under major spiritual depression. Yes, I had taken care of the medical side, seeking help from my doctor. But there was still something missing. These “feelings” I was having were not normal, and made me feel just awful, like a wretched woman who had no right to be a mother, a wife, or a follower of Christ.
As I’ve stated before, my victory over depression began with meeting a compassionate Christian counselor, who could:
1) help me discern God’s truths from Satan’s lies
2) help me see who I am in Christ
3) show me the importance of being in the Word and in communication (prayer) with God
It was about 2 years after meeting with my counselor; I was in my living room folding laundry, while Connor was taking a nap. A song came on the radio (I don’t remember now) but as I was listening, it just hit me. God was working in my spirit and opened my eyes to show me the old life He had saved me from. Even though I was saved spiritually, He didn’t want to leave me there. He wanted me to have victory while living on this earth. I was in awe of what God had done and just started crying – tears of joy, not tears of sadness or guilt. It was like a huge weight had lifted off of me.
I do hope and pray that anyone experiencing any kind of depression or anxiety can someday experience what Christ has really done for them. My prayer with this blog is that you can see my experience, and know there is hope. Know that God does not want you to live this way. Know that there is victory through Him.
This was a process, a huge one. It did not happen overnight. I learned A LOT about trusting God (and still am) and waiting on Him. But at the same time, I learned that just because I was experiencing this hopelessness didn’t mean He wanted me to stay there. He was hurting just as much as I was, if not more. He does not want to see His children living in darkness.
Please know that I pray for my readers. I pray that you will seek medical help if you need it. I pray that you will seek help from a close friend, a spouse, or another family member, and be completely honest with them about your struggle. And I pray that most of all, you will seek God. Read His Word. Communicate with Him daily. At one point I read through the Psalms. It was comforting to know that David and the other psalmists could cry out to God with EXACTLY how they felt. They held nothing back.
I believe that overcoming depression can only be done through God’s power and saving grace. If you have questions about how this can be done, please like my Facebook page, “Living With Real Joy”, and send me a message. I would be happy to tell you more about how God came to my rescue.
Living With Real Joy 