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Depression is not a fault, a weakness or a sin. I once heard a preacher say, “Feeling depressed doesn’t mean you lack faith, any more than being happy means you have it.” Depression strikes us indiscriminately. Job, Jonah, Moses, King David and the Apostle Paul experienced bouts of depression and hopelessness. The Psalmist wrote about it too, saying: “The Lord drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog” (Psalm 40:1-2). You don’t write words like that unless you’ve been there.
The good news is that, despite how isolated we might feel when we’re in that darkness, we are not alone. Asking for help is an act of power, not weakness. Giving help is our holy duty. We are all God’s children, so if one of our neighbors reaches out for help, we must reach back. Maybe that means offering a listening ear or enabling a person to get professional help.
Sometimes it may seem as if you are living in an arctic darkness that will never lift, but dawn will come. You are not alone.
This message is excerpted from “When the light goes out” by Susan Sparks in the May/June 2024 Gather magazine.