People of faith are not immune from depression. Many Christians struggling with depression find it difficult to reconcile this with their faith in Jesus. Some responses from faith communities add to the pain of depression instead of offering empathy and support. Although written long ago, the book of Job provides a deeper understanding for the issues of heart and soul for people of faith coping with depression.
Guilt – we all experience it. Yet the tendency is to avoid feelings of guilt, to sort of “bury them”. Those feelings are unpleasant and it does take courage to face our past, our pain, our mistakes, our need for reconciliation, and more. But what if guilt is designed to lead you to grace, to experience a deeper relationship with Jesus? What if guilt is God’s spiritual alarm system at work in your soul? What if those feelings of guilt are one of those indicators of the soul urging you to experience God’s healing?
Personal wholeness – how can we go deeper? In addition to Christian community, Scripture, worship and the spiritual disciplines, there is another way to “go deeper”. An experience of Christ’s Presence and love can lead to deeper wholeness and inner transformation. Listen to the personal testimonies of two women who describe their unexpected encounter with Jesus that brought about deeper wholeness.
Anxiety seems to be the scourge of the modern world. Anxiety can keep us up at night, impact our health, undermine our life and relationships. Some people are diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder and prescribed with Paxil. Is there a “cure” for anxiety? There is! But where you probably would not expect to find it.
Our emotions function as indicators of our souls, pointing to our personal pain, inner conflicts, beliefs about God and much more. We need to listen to our souls as part of our healing and personal transformation. This is in stark contrast to psychiatric medication that typically numbs the soul, prevents lasting healing and undermines spiritual growth.
