When we are depressed...

When we are depressed:

Psalm 40:1-3  " I waited patiently for God to help me; then He listened and heard my cry.  He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire and set my feet on a hard, firm path and steadied me as I walked along.  He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God."

Psalm 34:17, 19  "Yes, the Lord hears the good man when he calls to him for help, and saves him out of all his troubles... The good man does not escape all troubles, he has them, too.  But the Lord helps him in each and every one."

It is true that when we are depressed sometimes we only see the dark side of every circumstance.  But just as surely as day follows night and the darkness, God will pull us up out of despair and save us from our own misery.  Attitude has a lot to do with how we handle life's wrenches that always seem to throw themselves into our works!  But God is the hot line that is available 24/7!

All you need to do is invite Jesus into your heart and tell him your needs.  Ask Him to send the comforter to buffer your blows when things have you down and out.

The way you choose to react to circumstances can make all the difference.   Yesterday when my husband and I got the bad news that his kidneys are failing seriously because of the Multiple Myeloma cancer and from chemo treatments, our first reaction was blackness of despair.  But we still have each other and the Lord.  So we will have the ultrasound on Monday to see what the next step is and we are hoping it is not dialysis.  But if it is, there is nothing that we cannot face together and with God. 

My husband still makes me laugh despite his fear and dread of what is coming for him.  We both pray daily and not just for ourselves but we pray to Jesus, "and for all those who need you, Lord, Amen"

One of the best things you can do for depression is get out of the house even if it is for a ten minute walk.  When you are out in the open air and sunshine, you return home with a different perspective, not in just your view of life, but in your attitude.  Tell yourself to smile when you see friends so they do not avoid you because you are a "gloomy Gus".  Reading the Bible and other books helps a great deal, also.  Read the Bible to bring you closer to the Lord and understanding and read books for entertainment and to lift you out of your circumstance and into fantasy that is entertaining as well as therapeutic.  I just finished reading two books about King Edward the III of England.  One was written by a historian and one was written by the King himself.  Even Kings can be unhappy. 

If you able, get a pet.  Having to care for some one or some thing other than your self will take the concentration off of you and your troubles.  Petting a dog or a cat can actually lower your blood pressure.  Our human tendency is to make ourselves the center of our world when it should be the Lord and what we can do for others, not what can everyone do for me.

Isaiah 26:3,4 "The Lord will keep in perfect peace all those who trust in Him, whose thoughts turn often to the Lord!  Trust in the Lord God always, for in the Lord Jehovah is your everlasting strength."  Have you had an over-dose of YOU?  Take the cure, Jesus.

♥KERRIE♥
My Christian heart to yours...