The Black Dog....
Depression….
We all experience being “down” every now and then. There are days when all of us feel like giving up or just being totally alone—away from everyone and anything bright. Many famous people in history have experienced chronic depression—they had to contend with it their entire lives. Winston Churchill endured weeks and weeks of being sad and melancholy—he called his depression “the black dog”, something that followed him in the shadows for as long as he lived.
I too have suffered from depression and I often don’t even know why. But I can tell you the worst thing to tell a person, like me, when we’re depressed: “Don’t be depressed”. It’s not helpful and not what you want to hear when you’re drowning in a dark pool of doubt and despair. You want to get out and you would if you could! But to be told that you “should not be depressed”, although spoken with good intentions, can actually push you deeper into a feeling of self loathing for depression.
Sadness and gloominess, unchecked, can lead to very bad things, including suicide—be careful and be sure to get help if you’re having thoughts of hurting yourself! But the ideas of self destruction and suicide don’t happen in an instant, but rather a gradual building up of despair, desperation and a feeling of defeat. But hear this: There’s always hope in Jesus Christt….and we can do all things—and overcome all things….through Christ!
Take comfort, as I did today, as the “black dog” began to follow me, with defeat and defeat today, in this verse:
“They begged him to let them touch even the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.” (Mark 6:56b , NIV). Listen to me from personal experience: This is true! He can heal you from your the deepest phobias and the most anxious forebodings by “just touching the edge of His cloak.” And let this sink in: He’s ready to not only let you touch His cloak—He’s ready to hug you….hold you…. and remind you that He is in control and no one else. You have nothing to fear.