By Pastor Andrew Farland
I’ve never felt more alone than during my depression. And I’ve never felt more cynical. I judged people who were just enjoying their dinner at a restaurant or gray-haired men and women on the playground with their grandkids. I looked at them and believed that they couldn’t actually be happy. They must have been faking it.
The best way to describe me during that time was that I was a shell of myself. I went from being happy, positive, non-judgmental, and extroverted to being negative, judgmental, and introverted. It came on quickly and after a while, I started to forget who I really was.
Let me be candid with you today. I existed in a shell of myself for so long that I began to think I did something wrong. I began to believe that I had no purpose and that, if it’s possible, I had literally lost God. Maybe you feel like that today. The only logical reason to be experiencing such pain is that your God must be punishing you or at the very least, He’s disappeared on you.
I remember those thoughts being very real. What was the one thing that brought me back to reality? Having a friend to talk to who had gone through the same struggles as me.
Hearing the words, “Me too,” was extremely powerful. From the very first time my friend sympathized with my experience, my cynicism faded and I started seeing the world through a clear lens.
Today, start seeking out someone who has gone through depression and is now on the other side. If you have trouble finding that person, go to a professional counselor and ask him or her to point you in the right direction. This is essential for your healing process.
Proverbs 27:17
“As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”
Be encouraged today because God is with you.
