Depression theology

[Jules4JC]

This might seem waaaay out there compared to other topics, but I was thinking about it today and don't really have anyone to ask...

My main question is- did God give me depression? If we agree that it's a disease, then I say yes. But some of the symptoms of depression don't seem like they can be from God (i.e. suicidal thoughts, lying in my bed all day, self-pity). So how does that work? An even simpler example- I used to be a cutter. As much as I don't want to say self-injury is sinful, it's gotta be if you go by Scripture (body is a temple- 1 Corinthians, etc). So then my self-injury can't be from God, even though my depression is? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And where does Satan fit in with it all? Anybody have any opinions on this?

Sorry for the heavy topic- I'm still a pretty new Christian, trying to work it all out...

 

[newyorknewyork]

This might seem waaaay out there compared to other topics, but I was thinking about it today and don't really have anyone to ask...

My main question is- did God give me depression? If we agree that it's a disease, then I say yes. But some of the symptoms of depression don't seem like they can be from God (i.e. suicidal thoughts, lying in my bed all day, self-pity). So how does that work? An even simpler example- I used to be a cutter. As much as I don't want to say self-injury is sinful, it's gotta be if you go by Scripture (body is a temple- 1 Corinthians, etc). So then my self-injury can't be from God, even though my depression is? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And where does Satan fit in with it all? Anybody have any opinions on this?

Sorry for the heavy topic- I'm still a pretty new Christian, trying to work it all out...

hello!

i think depression is an illness yes. i dont think its from God though because God is love and God is perfect and God says "every good and perfect thing is from above". What makes you say depression is from God?

I feel your pain, I'm suffering from depression also, if u need a listening ear or a cyber-hug, im here

 

[Soulwings]

I think depression is like the thorn in Pauls side, or the troubles set on Job. Its not from God, but its allowed by God, if that makes sense. Its happening for a reason. Does that make any sense?

Im here as well, if you ever need anyone to talk to, bounce ideas off of, or just a cyber hug (and yes, Im aware that was terrible grammar ). Take care. xxx April

 

[Mayflower1]

I think God allows trials into our lives to strengthen our faith but trials are from satan trying to pull us away from God.

 

[VVV]

This might seem waaaay out there compared to other topics, but I was thinking about it today and don't really have anyone to ask...

My main question is- did God give me depression? If we agree that it's a disease, then I say yes. But some of the symptoms of depression don't seem like they can be from God (i.e. suicidal thoughts, lying in my bed all day, self-pity). So how does that work? An even simpler example- I used to be a cutter. As much as I don't want to say self-injury is sinful, it's gotta be if you go by Scripture (body is a temple- 1 Corinthians, etc). So then my self-injury can't be from God, even though my depression is? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And where does Satan fit in with it all? Anybody have any opinions on this?

Sorry for the heavy topic- I'm still a pretty new Christian, trying to work it all out...

No one here is the mouthpiece of God. The 12 and 12 of AA tells us that we may think God is Santa Claus and must come through with our demands, just as we did as greedy children making up a long, impossible list for Santa to fill. Can you imagine if everyone's prayers were answered according to our self centered and conflicting demands? Everyone would be billionaires, some would sprout wings and fly or grow gills and live underwater and no one would grow old. Death...no one would ever die...except ones "enemies" that the misguided might prayer for to die. This is not how the world and spiritual laws work. In the bible it reminds us that God's way is not man's way, and we can all be very grateful for that, as we can see what has happened when demigods take power on earth. Many women say they can't understand men, just as many men say they can't understand women. Well, to further distill this we can say that God's way is not man's way and man's way is not woman's way. Every creature has it's way and when you can come to peace with this you will have an easier time of it. To start on your peace journey look for insight into the other creatures suffering and problems. This technique comes from my Buddhist practice. This is easier to do with men or women than with God. But it can still be done non the same with your higher power, as I mentioned above with the impossibility of satisfying all the demands of a selfish and conflicting world.

The 12 and 12 also reminds us that believing in God or a Higher Power requires "reliance and not defiance." Once we have this reliance and lose the defiance we can develop "faith that works under all conditions" and we come to realize that "our whole trouble had been a misuse of willpower. We tried to bombard our problems with it instead of attempting to bring it into agreement with God's or our Higher Power's intention for us." There never is a good time for most of us to die, yet we all come under natural law and must die. so making egocentric demands on God to bypass natural law to be immortal is not realistic. My earlier post called "The Definition of a Miracle is the Suspension of Natural Law" discussed this issue. Whenever I pray I always end it with step 11 - "Praying only for knowledge of God's will and the power to carry it out." I take it out of my hands and turn it over to God. Developing gratitude is very helpful with recovery work.. It is a common fault with humans that they look for an enemy to blame their problems on. We must always remember that all problems are created in the mind and our problems are individual as well. Sometimes there is someone to blame for these problems which is usually US. Other times it is just how things are and no one is to blame. When you stop looking for an enemy to blame for your problems on you have made a big breakthrough with finding acceptance and peace.


Living an unbalanced life really contributed to my depression. Stress and depression go hand in hand, then we get sick from the stress and the depression and stress just gets worse and it becomes a death spiral. We can define stress as "a state that evokes effort on the part of the individual to maintain or restore equilibrium." The 2 R's are important to remember when it comes to stress management. They are Reduce stress and Relationship to stress. Reducing stress is the number one tool at our disposal. After we reduce what we can then we must work on how we relate to stress that cannot be reduced or eliminated. A life of voluntary simplicity has helped me greatly in this area of stress reduction. In terms of relating to stress, my Buddhist and Taoist practices as well as my 12 step work support me in this area. They help me accept or change the problem...then it is solved either way. Tired of being angry? Just relinquish control and anger will be diminished. Anger and control go hand in hand. I discuss this topic in an earlier post "Justified Anger"

Meditation and mindfulness helped calm my mind. A constantly busy kind cannot heal itself. Joining the simple living movement help make time for me to meditate and relax. Without time for contemplative practices and relaxation I am sunk. This is an almost top necessity for me. I tell those that say they have no time to relax to get into voluntary simplicity. If you can't keep up, scale back until you can keep up. I need to eat right and sleep right and exercise right as well. Many foods help trigger crazy thinking and can lead to depression, especially the salty and chemical rich, artificial factory foods. This is much easier to see once we clean up our diet and our thinking.

Sleep is also a problem with me as well as many health related stress produced problems. My sleep has improved, but I have to keep a watchful eye on my lifestyle as it can be back to problematic living in short order. I also found that my depression and stress sickness was greatly helped when I started to work on repairing the wreckage of the past that was constantly being fueled by my various addictions. From years of practicing these addictions I had dug a deep hole for myself and my family. The bigger mess I made, the more stress I created for myself and the more depression and hopelessness arose from my wrong lifestyle. Once I started to restructure my life in the direction of recovery, the benefits started showing up at my door. One thing was certain, I could not keep my old sick life and get better as well. Something had to go. I was now on track and the problems my earlier life were being cleaned up and I was not added new problems daily to add to the list of old problems.

Besides nutrition and getting the proper vitamins I have to work in spiritual areas as well. I need a balanced way to live right - not 100% spiritual and not 100% physical, but need to blend the two seamlessly for proper recovery. 12 step work as well as personal religious and spiritual studies helped me in this area. We are spiritual beings in a physical body living in a physical world so we are governed by both spiritual as well as physical or natural laws. So, we must never forget to work in both areas. In short, we have to live right and not work against the natural laws as well as spiritual laws that govern us if we want hopes for a new life. I am lucky to be able to recover in these areas using natural methods. Other persons suffering from depression might have a chemical imbalance in the brain and need medical advice and special medications. If this is the case, it is a matter of doing the footwork in all these medical areas to find out what can be done. Depression can stem from many areas but once thing is for sure, If we dedicate ourselves to work on getting better and making a better life for us we can almost always improve our life in a positive direction and make progress...but it takes work on our part to make these changes happen.




V (Male)

A xxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxx living a life of Voluntary Simplicity and grateful recovering Debtor, Drug, Alcohol and Substance Abuser, Compulsive Overeater, Clutterer, Hoarder, Rageaholic, Speculative Gambler, Compulsive Spender, Sex and Sensation Addict.

 

[Ivy]

Depression is a bum deal--but I like to think of Joseph who said," You meant it to me for evil, but God meant it to me for good."

Joseph went to prison unfairly, and depression is like an unfair prison too, yet God promoted him to royalty at the right time and used him for the saving of many lives.......people like us who cope with depression are *strong people, to deal with such a thing day in & out, and we are greatly usable by God.

And another verse, "I will give you the treasures of darkness, and the hidden wealth of secret places." Jewels are found in deep dark caves sometimes.

I don't post on here much, but here's a big hug!

 

[Arkanin]

Personally, I believe that everything is in god's control, and that god, at the top of the causal chain, created all temporal evils as a means to greater growth.

This is the same as traditional jewish beliefs. Nothing against (some) protestants, but how does it make any sense for beliefs about the origin of evil held by a Christian group to so wildly deviate from the thing God's People have believed since the dawn of time?

 

[Catherineanne]

This might seem waaaay out there compared to other topics, but I was thinking about it today and don't really have anyone to ask...

My main question is- did God give me depression?

I have had clinical depression since 1997, and a diagnosis of cptsd since 2001. The depression is a symptom of ptsd, and it is far from the only symptom, but it is one of the most difficult to live with.

The depression I have is the result of events in my life which have ultimately caused my body to react in this way. These events are not God's fault. They are the responsiblity of the people who made them happen, and my responsibility.

God did not prevent any of these things from happening, but then he did not prevent his own Son from dying on the cross, so it looks as if wrapping us in cotton wool is not part of his plan.

What is part of his plan is to walk beside us all the way, even through the Valley of the Shadow. My own belief is that Christians such as yourself, and others here, who suffer depression, are in the frontline of Christian witness. It is extremely difficult to retain a faith in God, when we see our lives crumble around us. In 1997 I had a husband, a church, a job; I had a life. Now I am divorced (my choice), I am agoraphobic and cannot attend church, and I have very little, if any, life. And yet life goes on, somehow.

If we look only from our own perspective, life can appear to be meaningless. If we recognise that there is another perspective, where God can turn our suffering into a blessing not just for ourselves but also for the world we live in, then it might help us to understand why we are allowed to remain as we are. This is not because we do not have the necessary faith to claim our healing. It is not because God is somehow powerless to prevent it. It is because out of the smelting comes gold; out of compressed rock comes the diamond.

As Julian of Norwich said; If you would know Our Lord's meaning in this thing, know it well. Love was his meaning. Love is the meaning of my depression, and yours. I do not know how, but I am sure this is so.

As for your question about satan; in my view our best response to him is to do as Our Lord did; turn our backs and ignore him totally and completely. It is particularly important for those who struggle with depression not to give him any attention. Whatever is good, whatever is pure, whatever is holy; think on these things.

 

[irenemcg]

This might seem waaaay out there compared to other topics, but I was thinking about it today and don't really have anyone to ask...

My main question is- did God give me depression? If we agree that it's a disease, then I say yes. But some of the symptoms of depression don't seem like they can be from God (i.e. suicidal thoughts, lying in my bed all day, self-pity). So how does that work? An even simpler example- I used to be a cutter. As much as I don't want to say self-injury is sinful, it's gotta be if you go by Scripture (body is a temple- 1 Corinthians, etc). So then my self-injury can't be from God, even though my depression is? Doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. And where does Satan fit in with it all? Anybody have any opinions on this?

Sorry for the heavy topic- I'm still a pretty new Christian, trying to work it all out...

God is not the author of confusion.

Rom 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

2Ti 1:7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

 

[salvation12288]

Depression is definetly not from God, but God allows satan to give us things to see if we will come to him for help. I also suffer from depression and self mutilation. I used to think the same thing. I am starting to learn to trust God now, but I tell you, IT IS NOT EASY!

Just keep turning to him. He will get you through!