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Life IS Unfair
In the movie The Accidental Tourist, the main characters are a husband and wife named Macon and Sarah Leary. Their son Ethan has died tragically, leaving them in dispair, struggling to pull their lives back together. In one particualarly touching scene, Sarah says to her husband "I should have agreed to teach summer school or something. I open my eyes in the morning and I think, Why bother getting up? Why bother eating? Why bother breathing?" This isn't just a scence from a movie---its an experience common to people everywhere. Life can be terribly unfair, terribly tragic. When we're in the depths of despair, we feel like Sarah Leary: Why bother going on at all? There are those who feel than Christains are---or should be---immune to depression. "After all" they say , "what have you got to be depressed about? You have a relationship with God, a family of brothers and sisters who love you, and guaranteed ticket to heaven." When the person carrying the weight of GLOOM hears this, he is not only depressed, he feels guily as well because it's "unspiritual" to be down in the Dumps. For those who struggle with feelings of depression, there is good news and bad news. |
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The BAD NEWS
The BAD NEWS is that such feelings are a fact of life in this broken world. Humanity's fall into sin in Garden of Eden affected every area of our existence. Look at it this way: When you inhabit a planet in open rebellion against its Creator, it's not surprising that sometimes you get caught in the cross fire. Depression is just one of theways that we can be wounded.
The GOOD NEWS
Now The Good News: You are not alone. As Psalm 73 (and many other passages) clearly shows, even God's chosen people experience anxiety,despai, and darknes in their soul. (If Psalms 73 doesn't convince you, check out the accounts of Jesus' experience in Gethsemane. Mattew 26 speaks of Jesus' soul being "crushed with grief to the point of death." Don't be surpised when you face grief.) Feeling down--really down-- seems to be an occasional fact of life. Obviously, depression that is too deep or lasts too long indicates a need for counseling; but there is nothing unusally or unspiritual about "walking through a dark valley" from time to time. So when you are caught in one of the unpleasant times, don't add guilty to your load. There's nothing wrong with you. When sailing through stormy seas, expect a little motion discomfor. And know for certain the Captin is not asleep on the bridge. He'll guide you safley through.
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